CAG Report Delhi Excise Policy: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, tabled in the Delhi Assembly on February 25, 2025, has highlighted serious implementation failures in the Delhi Excise Policy (2021-22). According to the report, the Delhi government suffered a revenue loss of ₹2,002 crore due to the non-implementation of key measures, including:
Planned liquor testing laboratories were never set up.
Batch testing for quality assurance was not conducted.
A dedicated regulatory post for monitoring was not created.
These lapses undermined the policy’s goal of curbing spurious liquor and bootlegging, leading to massive financial losses for the state.
AAP Leaders Arrested Over Excise Policy Corruption
The excise policy scandal led to the arrest of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on allegations of corruption. Both leaders have since been released on bail, but investigations are ongoing.
AAP Alleges ‘Deliberate Obstruction’ by Central Agencies
In response to the CAG report, AAP leaders blamed the revenue shortfall on interference by:
Lieutenant Governor (L-G)
Enforcement Directorate (ED)
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
AAP leader Atishi demanded an investigation against these agencies, claiming that their interference led to the ₹2,002 crore loss in government revenue.
Delhi Government Ignored Expert Recommendations
The CAG report further states that:
The Delhi government failed to re-tender surrendered liquor retail licenses, causing a ₹890 crore revenue loss.
Zonal license exemptions led to an additional ₹941 crore loss.
Waivers on license fees and incorrect security deposit collections added ₹171 crore to the losses.
The government ignored expert committee recommendations without proper justification.
Additionally, the Delhi High Court recently criticized the AAP government for delaying the tabling of 14 CAG reports, including the one on the excise policy. The court observed that such delays raise doubts about the government’s intent and transparency.
Conclusion
The Delhi excise policy (2021-22) scandal has resulted in massive financial losses, corruption charges, and political blame games. With the CAG report exposing critical implementation failures and AAP accusing the L-G, CBI, and ED of deliberate obstruction, the controversy surrounding the policy continues to unfold. The need for accountability and reforms in liquor regulation has become more urgent than ever.
