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Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot Summoned by Enforcement Directorate in Money-Laundering Case

Kalyani Jha
30 Mar, 2024

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Delhi’s Minister of Transport, Home, and Law, Kailash Gahlot, for questioning regarding a money-laundering case related to the now-defunct excise policy of the national capital. Gahlot, aged 49 and a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), reached the ED office on Saturday in response to the federal agency’s summons.

Kailash Gahlot, an MLA from Najafgarh, holds key portfolios in the Delhi government under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. This summons is part of the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and money laundering associated with formulating and implementing Delhi’s excise policy for the fiscal year 2021-22, which was eventually revoked.

Sources familiar with the matter stated that Gahlot has been called in to provide his statement and undergo questioning under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Previously, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were also arrested by the ED in connection with this case and are presently in judicial custody.

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested on March 21 in connection with the same money laundering case linked to the excise policy. The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi extended the ED’s custody of Kejriwal by four days until April 1. During the remand hearing, the ED’s counsel mentioned the necessity of accessing Kejriwal’s phone password, which, according to Delhi minister Atishi, inadvertently revealed the agency’s motives behind the arrest.

Atishi alleged that the ED’s real intention was to access Kejriwal’s phone to obtain information about AAP’s strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, rather than focusing solely on the excise policy investigation. She further claimed that it was not the ED but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking access to Kejriwal’s phone data. These developments have added a layer of political intrigue to the ongoing legal proceedings.