Delhi LG suspends ex-Excise Commissioner & others over irregularities in liquor policy

Continuing the crackdown on corruption, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena suspended key officials over the irregularities in the implementation of the Excise Policy. Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against the suspended officials, namely IAS officer and former Excise Commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service officer, ex-Deputy Excise Commissioner Anand Kumar Tiwari, 3 Adhoc DANICS officers and 4 other officials of the Excise Department. This action was taken due to their serious lapses in finalizing the tender and extending post-tender benefits to select vendors. 

A month earlier, the LG recommended a CBI probe in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government's excise policy of 2021-22. Implemented on November 17 last year, this policy entailed retail licenses being given to private bidders for 849 vends across the city divided into 32 zones. However, many liquor stores failed to open for being located in the non-confirming areas of Delhi and they were sealed by the respective Municipal Corporation. Both BJP and Congress had opposed this policy and lodged complaints with the LG too.

Manish Sisodia hits out at ex-LG

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia accused ex-Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal of changing his stance on the excise policy at the eleventh hour. According to him, this benefited existing liquour vendors in authorized areas and caused a loss of thousands of crores to the public exchequer. In the wake of this, he wrote to CBI director Subodh Jaiswal demanding a probe by the central agency into the decision taken by the then LG. 

Manish Sisodia remarked, "When the files pertaining to the opening of the liquor shops went to the LG, he changed his stance. On November 15, 2021, the LG put forth a condition that the permission of DDA and MCD will be necessary to open shops in unauthorized areas. Under the aegis of the excise policy, liquor shops have always been propping up in unauthorized areas."

He added, "Owing to this change of stance, the shops could not be opened in unauthorized areas. The new licensees went to the court and the court ordered that in authorized wards, their license fees should not be collected, their license fees should be relaxed on a pro-rata basis. Because of this, the government faced suffered losses worth thousands of crores. The government was going to hugely benefit from the new excise policy". Reacting to this, BJP IT cell Amit Malviya said this was an indication that the noose is tightening around Sisodia.