The Enforcement Directorate’s recent raids on several locations in Delhi, including those linked to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members, have sparked controversy and allegations of political rivalry. The raids, conducted in connection with a money laundering case, have intensified the ongoing political tensions between the AAP and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the centre.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on around a dozen locations in Delhi linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP N D Gupta, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary Bibhav Kumar, and former Delhi Jal Board (DJB) member Shalabh Kumar. These raids were carried out as part of an investigation into alleged illegal contracts issued by the DJB worth over Rs 30 crore. Additionally, the ED has been pursuing Kejriwal in connection with the AAP government’s excise policy, which has been scrapped since then.
Political Fallout
The timing of these raids has raised eyebrows, coming shortly after AAP’s senior leader, Atishi, announced an exposé against the agency in the recent press conference. The AAP has accused the BJP-led central government of using agencies like the ED to intimidate and silence opposition voices. Delhi BJP secretary Kapil Mishra, on the other hand, has called attention to what he describes as corruption within the AAP leadership.
“The truth of the Kejriwal gang’s corruption is dirtier and smellier than the Najafgarh drain. The truth regarding loot and scams is coming to light in every department. Scams in medicine and water are shameful. Jail is the only place for corrupt people,” Kapil Mishra said.
In the conference, Atishi raised significant concerns regarding the lack of substantial progress and transparency in the investigations conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Atishi highlighted three crucial factors that have cast doubt on the integrity of the ED’s probes. Atishi emphasised three key aspects where the ED’s investigations have fallen short: Recovery of laundered money, lack of evidence, questionable witness statements.
Firstly, she pointed out that despite two years of intimidation tactics employed against AAP leaders concerning the liquor excise case, the ED has failed to recover any laundered money. “For the last two years, the leaders of AAP have been intimidated using the liquor excise case. Yet in these two years, they have not been able to find a single piece of evidence,” she asserted.
Secondly, Atishi accused the ED of tampering with evidence, revealing instances where audio footage from CCTV recordings of interrogations had been deleted. “We have it on good authority that ever since the excise policy case has been underway, 1.5 years’ worth of interrogations’ audio footage has been deleted by the ED,” she claimed, raising serious questions about the integrity of the investigative process.
Furthermore, Atishi cited a 2020 Supreme Court order mandating that all investigating agencies, including the ED, conduct interrogations under CCTV camera surveillance with both audio and video footage. However, she highlighted an instance where the audio was mysteriously missing from the CCTV footage provided by the ED to an accused individual upon request.
Challenging the ED to uphold transparency and accountability, Atishi demanded answers. “My first question to the ED: what or who are you trying to hide by deleting all the audio? My second question is: Will you be able to produce the audio of any interrogation you have conducted for this case in the last 1.5 years??”
Legal Battles
Atishi announced that AAP had filed an application at the ED and CBI special courts, demanding the production of audio and video evidence from the past 1.5 years of interrogations. “I challenge the ED to bring this evidence forward before the nation,” she declared, emphasising the party’s commitment to uncovering the truth.
The legal battle between AAP and central agencies has escalated, with Kejriwal calling the ED summons illegal and challenging their validity in court. Meanwhile, AAP has petitioned for access to all audio recordings of ED investigations to uncover the truth behind the allegations.
