National: Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) permission to prosecute former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, according to sources.
The decision comes just weeks before the Delhi Assembly elections, where the AAP is seeking a fourth consecutive term amid a determined challenge from the BJP.
The ED sought prosecution sanction on December 5, citing a Supreme Court judgment from November 6, which clarified that government approval is required to prosecute public servants for money laundering under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The agency alleged “huge corruption in the framing and implementation” of Delhi’s excise policy.
Arvind Kejriwal, previously arrested by the ED on March 21 and by the CBI on June 26 in connection with the excise policy case, has been granted bail by the Supreme Court in both cases. Kejriwal has maintained his innocence, calling the charges politically motivated. In November, he approached the Delhi High Court to quash a trial court’s cognizance of the ED’s seventh supplementary chargesheet in the case.
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, also implicated in the excise policy case, questioned the ED’s transparency. “If the Lt Governor has given permission to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal, why is the ED not showing the copy of that permission? This news seems false and misleading,” Sisodia said, accusing authorities of using the case to divert attention from other issues, including alleged remarks against BR Ambedkar.
The case has become a flashpoint in Delhi politics, with the AAP framing it as an attack on its leadership while the BJP accuses the ruling party of corruption. As election day nears, the development is likely to intensify the political battle between the two parties.
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