Excise 'scam': Delhi HC seeks ED's stance on AAP volunteer's bail plea in money laundering case

New Delhi, Jun 14 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the stand of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the bail plea by AAP volunteer Chanpreet Singh Rayat in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

A vacation bench of Justice Amit Sharma issued a notice to the ED on Rayat's plea seeking regular bail and asked the agency to file a status report.

The matter would be heard next on July 2.

The ED had arrested Rayat, who allegedly managed cash payments for the AAP's 2022 Goa election campaign, on April 12.

It has alleged that the 'South Group' comprising BRS leader K Kavitha, TDP's Ongole MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy and his son Raghav Magunta, businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy and others paid Rs 100 crore bribe to the AAP for obtaining a prime position in the Delhi liquor market as part of the now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.

Out of these alleged kickbacks, the ED has claimed, Rs 45 crore was used by the AAP to fund its Goa election campaign.

The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged irregularities in its formulation and implementation.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is presently in judicial custody in the money laundering case. Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia is also in judicial custody in the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

In July, the trial court granted bail to Rayat in the corruption case being probed by the CBI, noting that he did not play any role in the formulation or implementation of the policy. PTI