The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kailash Gahlot for questioning in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor policy. Mr. Gahlot, who currently holds the portfolios of home, transport, and law in the Delhi government, has already arrived at the probe agency’s office to provide his statement.
This development comes in the wake of the recent arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the same case. Sources within the ED have revealed that Mr. Gahlot has been called in for questioning under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The case revolves around allegations of corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s excise policy for the fiscal year 2021-22, which was subsequently scrapped. According to the ED, Mr. Gahlot is implicated in the handling of a single SIM number, despite the IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) associated with it being changed on three occasions.
This development marks another high-profile individual being implicated in the ongoing investigation into the Delhi liquor policy case. Previously, two other prominent AAP leaders, MP Sanjay Singh and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, were also arrested in connection with the same matter.
In addition to AAP leaders, K Kavitha, a leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is also currently in custody in connection with the case.
The summoning of Mr. Gahlot underscores the widening scope of the investigation and the ED’s determination to pursue all leads in uncovering any alleged wrongdoing. As the probe progresses, further revelations may shed light on the extent of the alleged corruption and money laundering activities surrounding the Delhi liquor policy, which has sent shockwaves through the political landscape of the national capital.
