Delhi excise policy case: ED opposes bail pleas of AAP’s Vijay Nair, businessmen Reddy, Boinpally

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a reply, opposing bail petitions moved by AAP’s Vijay Nair, businessmen Sharath Reddy and Abhishek Boinpally, who are presently in judicial custody in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case.

The reply copies were filed before Special Judge MK Nagpal by the ED through Special Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta. The detailed arguments on the bail petition of Sharath Reddy will take place on December 17.

The court also will also hear arguments on the bail plea of businessman Sameer Mahendru, who was the first person to be arrested by the ED in the excise policy case.

During the proceedings on Tuesday, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Siddharth Luthra appeared for Sharath Reddy.

The court also fixed December 19 as the date for hearing three more bail petitions in the case moved by Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally and Binoy Babu.

At present, the court of Special Judge MK Nagpal is examining the five bail petitions in the excise case.

Recently, the ED filed its first prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against Sameer Mahendru in the case. The chargesheet was filed against the businessman and some entities, informed ED officials in court.

The officials further informed the court that the chargesheet runs into 3,000 pages (approx). The chargesheet was filed against the businessman as the 60-day mandatory period for doing so was getting over, the agency informed.

Mahendru was arrested on September 27 in connection with the excise policy case.

The ED further informed the court that it will file a supplementary chargesheet against the other arrested accused soon.

Further investigation into the role of the ECIR, which has also been named an accused in the case, as well as allegations against various other persons is ongoing.

The investigation into the role of other accused persons in the phasing out of the remaining proceeds of crime is still pending and a supplementary chargesheet would be filed at a later date, the ED stated in court.

On November 10, this year, the ED arrested Sarath Reddy, director, Aurobindo Pharma and Benoy Babu, general manager, International Brands, Pernod Ricard.

On November 14, the central agency arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s communications in-charge Vijay Nair and Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally in the Delhi excise policy case.

They were previously arrested in the same case by the CBI but managed to secure bail from a trial court.

In October, the ED had raided nearly three dozen locations in Delhi and Punjab following the arrest of Mahendru, the managing director of liquor distributor Indospirit Group in Delhi’s Jorbagh, in connection with the case.

Also among the accused in the case are Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, then excise commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, deputy commissioner Anand Tiwari and assistant commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.The ED and the CBI had alleged irregularities while modifying the excise policy, adding that 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, it was further alleged.