Delhi excise policy case: Court grants bail to businessman Dinesh Arora

New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Tuesday granted bail to businessman, Dinesh Arora, in connection with an ongoing probe in the Delhi excise policy case.

He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 6 and was in Judicial Custody until now.
The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Tuesday granted bail to Arora on a personal bail bond of Rs 1 lakh and like amount surety.

Earlier, while seeking remand, ED counsels submitted that during the custody he has been confronted with certain persons and documents involved in relation to payment transfer of cash and proceeds of crime.

ED further stated that he has also revealed some crucial facts and names of individuals receiving proceeds of crime but on the basis of the information provided by the accused, some searches are being carried out in Delhi and NCR which will lead to recovery of incriminating material.

Arora has been declared an approver in the same case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Earlier Vikas Pahwa, senior counsel, appeared for Dinesh Arora and submitted that I have not seen the grounds of arrest. pls, see the background. It is a peculiar case Before the pardon was given on 16th November 2022, ED had called him in September.

His statements are being relied on by the ED in various Prosecution Complaints. This court while rejecting bail, has “relied on his statement”, submitted by Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa.

According to ED, considered close to jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, Arora is the 13th person arrested in the case by the Enforcement Directorate. Last year, a city court allowed the CBI’s request to make Arora an approver in the case.

ED has so far filed five charge sheets in the case, including against Sisodia.

ED, last year filed its first chargesheet in the case. The agency said it has so far undertaken over 200 search operations in this case after filing an FIR after taking cognizance of a CBI case that was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi lieutenant governor.

The CBI inquiry was recommended based on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary’s report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials had said.

In October, the ED had raided nearly three dozen locations in Delhi and Punjab following the arrest of Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director of Delhi’s Jor Bagh-based liquor distributor Indospirit Group, in the case and arrested him later.

The CBI, too, filed its first charge sheet in the case last week.

The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced, and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19.

This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.