Liquor Policy Case: ED Raids At 35 Places Across Delhi, Punjab, Hyderabad

New Delhi, Oct 7: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today launched fresh raids at 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab, and Hyderabad, deepening its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.

The searches are being conducted at premises linked to liquor companies, distributors, and supply chain networks in these states.

The action started early morning with agency teams seen leaving the Delhi headquarters for the raid locations.

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, attacked the center and termed the raids as “dirty politics”.

“Time of so many officers is being wasted for their dirty politics. How will such country progress?” he added.

The money laundering case in the excise policy – the latest flashpoint between the ruling AAP and the BJP – stems from a CBI FIR in which Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and some Delhi government bureaucrats have been named as accused. The CBI is investigating if the policy aided liquor cartels.

The BJP alleges huge corruption in the policy that allowed retailers to offer big discounts to attract buyers. The AAP, however, says that its policy was aimed at curbing corruption and accuses the BJP of misusing central agencies for political goals.

Liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru was arrested last week by the probe agency which has conducted several rounds of raids in the case. His arrest came a day after Vijay Nair, AAP’s communications chief and a close aide of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, was arrested by the CBI.

The Delhi Excise Policy, implemented from November 17 last year, was scrapped by the Arvind Kejriwal government in July this year following a CBI probe recommended by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena into its implementation. Mr. Saxena alleged that the policy was implemented “with the sole aim” of benefiting private liquor barons by causing huge losses to the exchequer.

The Lieutenant Governor also suspended eleven excise officials in connection with the case.

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