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On 23 March 2024, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders alleged that electoral-bond donations from companies linked to businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy connected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the Delhi excise-policy case. AAP cited a group-wide figure of ₹59.5 crore, including ₹55 crore it said was donated after Reddy’s arrest. Those are AAP’s claims, not a judicial finding that the donations were illegal or exchanged for favourable treatment.
What AAP alleged on 23 March 2024
AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj argued that bond disclosures showed a money trail from Reddy-linked businesses to the BJP and called for an investigation and arrest. In its 23 March press release, Atishi said: “For the first time, an official money trail has come to light in a liquor policy case, and this money trail has gone directly from liquor traders to the BJP’s bank accounts.” That is Atishi’s political characterization of the disclosures, not an independent conclusion by a court or election authority. AAP’s statement and contemporaneous reporting by Scroll describe the allegation.
How to read the amounts
The figures refer to different scopes and should not be added together or treated as interchangeable.
| Figure | What it refers to | Attribution |
|---|---|---|
| ₹59.5 crore | Total bond donations from entities AAP described as linked to Reddy that it said went to BJP. | AAP’s 2024 claim, reported in its press release. |
| ₹55 crore | Share of that group-wide total AAP said was donated after Reddy’s arrest. | AAP’s 2024 claim, reported in its press release. |
| ₹52 crore | Electoral bonds Aurobindo Pharma Limited reportedly purchased. | Scroll’s 2024 company-specific summary. |
| ₹34.5 crore | Amount Scroll reported went from Aurobindo Pharma Limited to BJP. | Scroll’s 2024 company-specific summary. |
The first two numbers cover entities AAP grouped as linked to Reddy; the latter two concern Aurobindo Pharma Limited alone. A group-linked claim is not the same as a company’s purchase total or a party’s receipt total.
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What electoral-bond records can establish
The Election Commission of India (ECI) purchaser dataset contains dated entries for Aurobindo Pharma Limited. Those entries record purchases: by themselves, they do not show which party ultimately received each bond. Recipient-side encashment records address a different part of the transaction. Scroll reported the company-specific recipient figure above; the purchaser entry alone cannot verify that receipt. ECI electoral-bond disclosures
- A bond purchase is not, on its own, proof of a recipient.
- A reported party receipt does not by itself prove a bribe, proceeds of crime, or an agreement in exchange for a policy or other benefit.
- To substantiate a transaction-level trail, purchaser and recipient records must be reconciled by entity, date, and amount; the available purchaser entry alone does not do that.
On 15 February 2024, the Supreme Court invalidated the Electoral Bond Scheme and required disclosure. On 11 March, it directed the State Bank of India to provide purchase and redemption details for the specified period. Those orders set the disclosure process; they did not decide AAP’s later allegation about BJP’s receipts. Supreme Court orders on the Electoral Bond Scheme
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How the allegation relates to the Delhi excise-policy case
Delhi’s Excise Policy 2021–22 was released in July 2021 and implemented on 17 November 2021, according to the Delhi High Court’s account of the case background. The policy was withdrawn in July 2022, Scroll reported. Investigative agencies alleged irregularities in the policy’s framing and implementation; the Supreme Court’s 2023 judgment records allegations in that separate excise-policy matter. Delhi High Court case records · Supreme Court judgment concerning the excise-policy investigation · Scroll’s reporting on the policy
Those agency allegations and court records concern the excise-policy investigation. They do not establish that BJP received illegal funds, that the bond donations were connected to the policy in a criminal sense, or that there was a quid pro quo. Likewise, AAP’s bond allegation does not itself determine the underlying excise-policy case.
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What is and is not established
- Established as a public statement: AAP made the allegation on 23 March 2024 and attributed group-linked donation figures to Reddy-linked entities.
- Reported about one company: Scroll summarized Aurobindo Pharma Limited’s purchases and the amount it said went to BJP.
- Not established by those figures alone: that a donation was unlawful, represented criminal proceeds, or was payment for a favour.
- Not established here as a later legal outcome: the supplied sources do not provide an authoritative procedural status for this specific allegation as of 8 October 2026. It should not be described as adjudicated, pending, or closed on this evidence.
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