Excise policy case: Delhi HC directs ED to bring copies of sanction to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia

The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Enforcement Directorate to bring on record the copy of requisite sanction to prosecute AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the alleged excise policy scam case.

Justice Ravinder Dudeja passed the order on an application filed by the politicians who challenged the trial court decision to take cognisance of the ED chargesheet in the case, citing lack of mandatory prosecution sanction.

Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Kejriwal, told the bench that he wasn't named as an accused in any of the first six chargesheets filed by the agency, and claimed that the ED lacked mandatory prosecution sanction.


"The proceedings suffered from the absence of the mandatory prosecution sanction," the counsel claimed.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, opposed the petition, claiming that the requisite sanction had been obtained and placed before the trial court.

The judge noted ED's submission and directed it to place it on record by the next hearing on November 12.

The CBI and the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed in modifying Delhi's excise policy, with undue favours extended to certain license holders under the AAP government.

The policy, introduced on November 17, 2021, was scrapped in September 2022 following corruption allegations.