A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has revealed that irregularities in implementing the Delhi government's now-abandoned liquor policy have caused a revenue loss of Rs 2,026 crore to the state exchequer. The leaked CAG report, which has been accessed, emphasises significant lapses, policy deviations and violations in license granting. It was even noted that the policy failed to accomplish its desired goals and there were allegations that AAP leaders benefited from kickbacks. The report stated that the Group of Ministers (GoM) led by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia ignored the expert panel's recommendations.

The liquor policy was introduced in November 2021 to restructure the liquor retail landscape in the national capital and maximise revenue. However, the ED and CBI launched investigations into corruption and money laundering charges. Several top UP leaders were arrested, including then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia and Sanjay Singh. Regardless, they were given bail last year.

The CAG report, which has yet to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly, has revealed that despite complaints, all the companies were allowed to submit tenders, but the financial status of the bidders was not verified. The companies reporting losses were granted licences, even renewed, it said.

Further, the CAG found that violators were not punished intentionally. It also underscored that important policy decisions were taken without the approval of the Cabinet or the Lieutenant Governor. Moreover, contrary to government practice, the new rules were not implemented before the Assembly for ratification.

The CAG also found fault with the process of implementing the new policy. The report said that some retailers retained their licenses till the expiry of the policy, while some surrendered them before the expiry. The government lost Rs 890 crore due to the non-retendering of the retail permits that had been submitted.

Moreover, an additional loss of Rs 941 crore was incurred due to exemptions granted to zonal licensees. Additionally, Rs 144 crore in license fees was waived off to zonal licensees on the pretext of Covid restrictions. The tender documents mentioned that the commercial risk would rest solely with the licensees.

The CAG report also noted that despite being part of the policy plan, infrastructure for quality control, like labs and batch testing facilities, was never set up.

Sanjay Singh, AAP Rajya Sabha MP, doubted the veracity of the claims, asking whether the report has been submitted to the "BJP office". Singh further asserted that the report has not yet been tabled in the Delhi Assembly.

"Where is this CAG report? Where are these claims coming from? Has it been submitted to the BJP office? BJP leaders have lost their mental balance. The CAG report has not been submitted, and they are making such claims," ​​the AAP leader asked.