Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot appears before Enforcement Directorate in liquor policy case

Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot on Saturday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case, reported The Indian Express.

This came hours after the Aam Aadmi Party leader received a summons in relation to the case that has so far seen the arrests of three of the party’s senior leaders by the central agency, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Gahlot, 49, is an MLA from Najafgarh and is the minister of transport, environment, home and law in the Delhi government.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21. On Thursday, a Delhi court extended his Enforcement Directorate custody until April 1.

Two senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders – Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh – are also in jail in connection with the case. The party and its leaders have denied the allegations.

The Enforcement Directorate’s case is based on a first information report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation alleging irregularities in the Delhi government’s liquor excise policy that had come into effect in November 2021 and was withdrawn in July 2022, with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommending an investigation into the alleged irregularities of the policy.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government modified Delhi’s liquor excise policy to...

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