ED files fresh charge sheet in liquor policy case; K Kavitha named as accused.

ED files fresh charge sheet: There were speculative reports that the probe agency may name Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as accused. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday filed a fresh charge sheet before a Delhi court in the excise policy-linked money laundering case, naming BRS leader K Kavitha as accused. Reports suggest that the prosecution complaint has been filed before Delhi Rouse Avenue Court under sections 45 and 44(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A similar complaint against Delhi chief minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal is expected to be filed next week, reported PTI. This is the sixth supplementary charge sheet by the ED in this case in which it has arrested 18 people so far including AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and others. Sanjay Singh was granted regular bail sometime back. The court will hear the arguments of the probe agency on the issue of taking cognisance of the seventh chargesheet on May 13. The ED filed its money laundering case on August 22, 2022, taking cognisance of the CBI FIR that was lodged on August 17, 2022. The central probe agency arrested Kejriwal from his official residence here on March 21 under the PMLA while K Kavitha, the MLC daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was taken into custody from Hyderabad on March 15. The Supreme Court said on Friday granted interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal till June 1 while imposing a slew of restrictions on him as part of the bail conditions. The court asked Kejriwal to not sign any official file unless absolutely necessary to obtain the Lieutenant Governor’s sanction during the 21-day interim bail period. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said, “He shall not visit the Office of the Chief Minister and the Delhi Secretariat.” “He shall be bound by the statement made on his behalf that he shall not sign official files unless it is required and necessary for obtaining clearance/ approval of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi,” the top court said.