Delhi Excise Policy Scam: A Complete Timeline of Events in LiquorGate Case

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal was on late Thursday evening arrested by a team of ED officials in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case. Notably, the AAP chief had earlier skipped multiple summonses of the agency in the case which pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in connection with the case.

The ED has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.

Delhi Excise Policy Scam Case: A Complete Timeline

• 17 November 2021: The ruling AAP government in Delhi led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal implements a new liquor policy.
• 8 July 2022: A report alleging irregularities in the excise policy 2021-22 is submitted to then Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena by then Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.
• 22 July 2022: A probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise policy is recommended by L-G VK Saxena.
• 31 July 2022: The contentious policy is withdrawn by the Delhi government.
• 17 August 2022: A case against 15 people in connection with several irregularities in the excise policy is filed by the CBI.
• 19 August 2022: Manish Sisodia’s house is raided by the CBI officials.
• 6 September 2022: First round of raids in connection with the alleged irregularities in the excise policy scam are conducted by the federal agency (ED) at around 40 locations in the national capital region.
• 16 September 2022: Several premises linked to liquor distributors and supply chain networks in Andhra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi-NCR are raided by the ED in connection with the scam.
• 17 October 2022: Manish Sisodia is interrogated in about eight-hour-long session at the CBI headquarters.
• 5 November 2022: Manish Sisodia’s personal assistant Devendra Sharma is quizzed by the ED in connection with the alleged scam.
• 25 November 2022: A chargesheet against seven accused in the case is filed by the CBI.
• 30 November  2022: Gurugram-based businessman Amit Arora is arrested by the ED in connection with the Delhi Excise policy scam.
• 2 December 2022: Then Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC Kavitha get CBI summons for questioning in connection with the alleged scam.
• 22 December 2022: Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC Kavitha's name finds mention in the ED chargesheet.
• 6 January 2023: A second chargesheet is filed by the Enforcement Directorate, naming the 12 accused in the case. 
• 14 January 2023: Manish Sisodia’s office is searched by a team of CBI officials one more time.
• 18 February 2023: Manish Sisodia again receives CBI summons for further questioning in the matter.
• 26 February 2023: Manish Sisodia is arrested by a team of CBI officials investigating the scam.
• 28 February 2023: Manish Sisodia tenders resignation from his post in the Delhi Cabinet.
• 1 October 2023: AAP leader Sanjay Singh arrested in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged scam.
• 21 March 2024: A team of ED officials arrests Arvind Kejriwal after he skips multiple summons in connection with the case.
   

Earlier in the day, a Delhi High Court bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain had refused to grant Kejriwal any protection from coercive action in the case.