Delhi’s alleged liquor scam has not only become a problem for the Arvind Kejriwal government, but the government exchequer is also facing a heavy burden of legal battles. In 2020-21, where the Excise Department of the Delhi government spent nil on lawyers, Rs 25.25 crore has been paid to special lawyers between 2021-22 and 2022-23 (till November 30). Most of the payments have been made in lieu of lobbying in cases related to the liquor scam. Hindustan Times has seen the documents related to the expenditure.
The Delhi government has now canceled the liquor scam. CBI and ED are engaged in its investigation. According to the documents, senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi has been paid Rs 18.97 crore in the last 18 months, while Rahul Mehra has been given Rs 5.30 crore in 28 months.