Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) chief may see his troubles mounting as Union Home Ministry late on Tuesday (January 14), gave permission to Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prosecute him. This development has come just weeks before voting day for Delhi Legislative Assembly Election 2025. ED has previously accused Kejriwal of being 'kingpin' of alleged liquor policy scam. It has been alleged by ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that Delhi governments now-withdrawn liquor policy was made so that Kejriwal would get kickbacks and that there was money laundering involved.
Here's the timeline of liquor policy case:
November, 2021: Delhi government under then-CM Kejriwal introduces new excise policy.
July 2022: Delhi Lieutenant-Governor VK Saxena makes a recommendation of CBI probe into the policy.
August 2022: CBI and ED register cases against Kejriwal over alleged irregularities in the liquor excise policy.
September 2022: Delhi government withdraws the liquor policy.
Between October 2023 to March 2024, ED issued nine summonses to CM Kejriwal, he ignored them all.
March 21, 2024: Kejriwal approaches Delhi High Court challenging the summonses issued by ED. But the court refuses to grant protection from arrest. ED arrests him at night.
His bail pleas were denied several times for more than a month.
May 10, 2024: Supreme Court grants him bail till June 1 for Lok Sabha campaigning saying he has to surrender on June 2.
June 20, 2024: Kejriwal gets regular bail from trial court.
June 21, 2024: ED approaches high court challenging the regular bail. High court suspends bail.
June 25, 2024: The high court puts a stay on regular bail granted by trial court in money laundering case.
June 26, 2024: CBI arrests Kejriwal in corruption case related to excise policy.
May 17, 2024: After Kejriwal questions legality of his arrest, Supreme Court reserves verdict
July 12, 2024: Supreme Court grant bail to Kejriwal in ED's money laundering case. But he stays in jail in CBI's case.
August 5, 2024: After Kejriwal approaches Delhi High Court to challenge CBI arrest, the court upholds the arrest. HE Approaches Supreme Court
September 13, 2024: Supreme Court grants bail to Kejriwal.