The liquor excise policy of the AAP government in 2021 underwent several changes, including the discontinuation of state-run liquor stores and the issuance of operating licenses to private entities. The legal drinking age was lowered from 25 to 21 years old, and specific requirements for liquor brand registration were established, such as cost and sales figures outside of Delhi. Additionally, the government proposed raising the yearly license price for alcohol vending from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 75 lakh.
The implementation of the policy was marred by allegations of corruption and favoritism during the licensing process, leading to a probe by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and a request for a CBI investigation. Amid mounting criticism, the government announced the scrapping of the excise policy.
A total of 16 people have been arrested till now in the Delhi Liquor Case including the Aam Aadmi Party leader and Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal. Here is the detailed list:
1. Arvind Kejriwal
Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned several times in the ED’s charge sheets, which allege that he was in contact with the accused to create the excise policy, resulting in undue benefits for them. They allegedly paid kickbacks to the AAP in return. Kejriwal was arrested during a search of his residence on March 21, as he failed to secure interim protection from arrest in the liquor policy case from the Delhi High Court.
2. K Kavitha
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha was arrested recently after raids by the ED and the Income Tax department on her Hyderabad residence.
3. Sanjay Singh
AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was arrested on October 4, 2023, following an extensive questioning session at his Delhi home, a crucial development in the case.
4. Manish Sisodia
Former deputy chief minister of Delhi and close aide to Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, was initially arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023. He was arrested again by the ED on March 9, 2023, while in Tihar jail awaiting his bail hearing.
5. Vijay Nair
AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair was arrested by the CBI in September 2022 in connection with the liquor scam. The ED also charged him in November of the same year.
6. Satyendar Jain
Satyendar Jain, an AAP leader and former Delhi minister, was the first person arrested under the Delhi excise policy by the ED in May 2022. After being granted interim bail on medical grounds following a year-long imprisonment in Tihar jail, he returned to jail in March 2024.
Other people arrested:
Several other individuals were arrested in connection with the case, includes:
- Raghav Magunta, a member of the South Group who has now become a witness.
- Gautam Malhotra, son of a former MLA from Akali Dal.
- Amit Arora, owner of Vaddi Retail.
- P Sharad Reddy, promoter of Arvindo Group who has also turned witness.
- Abhishek Bonpalli, another member of the South Group.
- Buchibabu Gorantla, former MLA of Kavitha.
- Binoy Babu, regional head of Record India.
- Rajesh Joshi, director of Chauriyet Productions.
Detained Individuals:
Other notable individuals detained in the investigation include restaurateur Dinesh Arora, who was charged by the CBI in 2022, and Sameer Mahendru, the managing director of M/s Indospirit Group, who was charged by the ED in September of the same year.
Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Delhi Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi, were detained by Delhi police during a party protest against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest on Thursday.
