Delhi assembly polls: Did L-G Saxena allow ED to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal?

With just a month to go for the crucial Delhi assembly elections, Delhi lieutenant-governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena has granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prosecute AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the excise policy case, according to a report by news agency ANI.

With AAP currently striving for a fourth consecutive term in Delhi, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has strongly refuted the reports, writing in an X post: “If LG Saxena has given permission to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal, then why is the ED not showing the copy of that permission? It is clear that this news is false and misleading. Stop making empty claims to divert attention from the issue of the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar. Show where the sanction to prosecute is.”

Echoing Sisodia, Delhi CM Atishi Singh said, "If LG sahab has given permission to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal ji, then what is the problem for ED in making the copy of the approval public? This news is being spread only to mislead people and distract them from the issues. BJP, stop these conspiracies. Bring out the truth."

The ED has not yet responded to the claims made by the AAP leaders. Earlier, it was said Saxena had approved the ED request to prosecute Kejriwal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the now scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.

The alleged liquor policy scam is one of the biggest allegations levelled by the opposition BJP against the Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi. While a PMLA case already exists against Kejriwal, the trial is yet to begin. Following a Supreme Court directive mandating the L-G's approval to prosecute public officials in such cases, the ED reportedly sought permission through the chief secretary.

In March, the ED arrested Kejriwal over alleged money laundering related to the scam. He was released on bail in September after months in custody. Following his release, Kejriwal resigned as chief minister of Delhi and vowed to return to office only after winning the 2025 assembly elections. Sisodia, who has also faced legal troubles in the liquor policy case, was granted bail in August after 18 months of imprisonment. The court cited his right to a speedy trial in its decision.

It is worth recalling here that the ED had alleged that Kejriwal and Sisodia made changes in the Excise Policy 2021-22 to help a ‘South lobby’ in return for a bribe of Rs 100 crore. Of this, the AAP supposedly used Rs 45 crore for campaigning in the Goa elections, ED sources claimed. Kejriwal, meanwhile, has appealed to Delhi High Court to cancel the charge sheet, following which a notice was issued to the ED on Friday.