Arvind Kejriwal puts blame on Atishi? "Excise policy scam accused Vijay Nair reported to her, not me," says Delhi CM
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New Delhi, April 1: Putting the blame on Delhi Minister Atishi Marlena, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has reportedly claimed that Vijay Nair, the accused in the Excise Policy Case, did not report to him but to her.
Accusing Kejriwal of not cooperating in the investigation of the Delhi Liquor Policy Scam, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, appearing for ED, told the court, “Arvind Kejriwal’s conduct has been totally non-cooperative and he has tried to mislead the interrogation. He said Vijay Nair does not report to me but to Atishi. Kejriwal is not sharing the password for his phone.”
The central probe agency also said, “He did not reveal the password for digital devices… His conduct was totally non-cooperative. He is not giving his phone and deliberately misleading the investigation by giving evasive replies.”
ASG: Arvind Kejriwal's conduct has been totally non cooperative and he has tried to mislead the interrogation.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) April 1, 2024
Kejriwal to be sent to Tihar
On Monday, the Rouse Avenue Court sent the Delhi Chief Minister to 14 days’ of judicial custody till April 15. His wife Sunita Kejriwal will be allowed to visit Arvind Kejriwal along with AAP ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj before he is shifted to Tihar jail. Notably, Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 for money laundering in connection with excise policy scam
But who is Vijay Nair?
According to CBI FIR in 2022, Vijay Nair, the former CEO of events company Only Much Louder (OML) who had been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy case. Apart from him, the FIR had Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and 13 others.
Further, the ED accused Nair, of acting as a middleman for the 'South Group,' which allegedly provided Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to the Kejriwal government to gain entry into the liquor retail business in Delhi. Notably, another accused Sameer Mahendru told the probe agency officials that Nair had fixed his meeting with Kejriwal, but when it couldn't materialise, he made him speak to the Chief Minister via video call.
According to ED officials, Nair is believed to be part of a larger conspiracy, with the probe agency's investigation pointing to his collusion with Kejriwal himself.
He worked as a ‘part-time volunteer’ of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in the run-up to the 2020 Delhi State Legislative Assembly polls. During his stint with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, he helped organise party events and manage social media handles.