A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Durgesh Pathak and others in connection with the excise policy case. The court also ordered to furnish a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh. As per details, the AAP MLA had appeared on summons issued by the Rouse Avenue court.
Speaking to the media, Pathak also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to break the Aam Aadmi Party. "We have been seeing this drama for the last 2-3 years that PM wants to finish AAP through false cases. But all of this is getting exposed slowly. Everyone is being granted bail and they are coming out of jail. If you see the order copy, you will find that no agency has any substantive proof to even build a case," he said. "This era will be written in history that how attempts were made to finish off a small party - that spoke about working on schools, hospitals and improving basic infrastructure, and that they failed in finishing it off," the AAP leader added.
Arvind Kejriwal's judicial custody extended
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other accused in custody were produced through video conferencing from Tihar Jail. The judicial custody of Kejriwal has been extended till September 25. Earlier on September 5, the Supreme Court had reserved an order on the plea filed by Chief Minister Kejriwal seeking bail in the CBI corruption case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam.
Delhi Excise policy case
The matter relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP. The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
ALSO READ: Delhi liquor policy case: Arvind Kejriwal's judicial custody extended till September 25
