Excise Policy case: Delhi Court extends judicial custody of Kejriwal, K Kavitha till May 7

NEW DELHI: The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday extended judicial custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and BRS leader K Kavitha in the excise policy case till May 7.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja allowed the application moved by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) seeking an extension of judicial custody of Arvind Kejriwal, K Kavitha and Chanpreet Singh in the Delhi excise policy case.

The Court also extended the judicial custody of K Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

On Monday, the same Judge passed an order on Kejriwal's plea for the administration of insulin and also to ensure that the applicant is provided all the requisite medical treatment.

The court said though it shall continue to be the primary duty of Tihar jail authorities, who are stated to be fully equipped to take care of the health of the applicant, to ensure that all requisite medical treatment is provided to him in jail; however, in the event of any requirement for specialized consultation, the jail authorities shall consult the Medical Board to be constituted by Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), comprising of a senior endocrinologist/diabetologist, as per request dated April 20, already sent by DG Prisons.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the ED in connection with a money laundering case in the alleged excise policy scam. ED alleged that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) is the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged scam.

The ED arrested K Kavitha MLC, Telangana Legislative Council, on March 15, 2024, in the case of the alleged liquor policy scam.

The CBI inquiry was recommended based on the findings of the Delhi Chief Secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said.

The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval.

The beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies said.

As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the earnest money deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules.

Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19, the probe agency said and there was an alleged loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer.