News Analysis India

Tag: Excise policy case

  • Excise policy case: Manish Sisodia moves Delhi court seeking interim bail for election campaigning

    AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who has been arrested by the CBI and ED in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy scam case, on Friday moved a court here seeking interim bail for poll campaigning. Special Judge for the CBI and ED, Kaveri Baweja, is likely to take up the application for hearing later in the day.

    The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority’s approval.

    The beneficiaries allegedly diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies have alleged. The former deputy chief minister was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the “scam”. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sisodia in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.

    Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.

  • Arvind Kejriwal: “BJP afraid of INDIA bloc”: Jairam Ramesh on arrest of Delhi CM Kejriwal

    Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday took a jibe at the BJP over the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying it was ‘afraid’ of the INDIA bloc going into the Lok Sabha elections.

    Speaking to ANI, Ramesh said, “The arrest of Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren and Delhi Chief Minister is an attack on democracy and our constitution.”

    “This is politics of revenge at play. The BJP is afraid of the INDIA alliance. This is an attack on democracy and our constitution,” the Congress leader further said. Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said there is only one thought in the PM’s mind- ‘One Nation No Election’.

    “There is only one thought in the Prime Minister’s mind-‘One Nation, No Election’… The entire country is in OPD-One Person Dictatorship,” he added.

    Earlier, the BJP’s Delhi president Virendraa Sachdeva said the truth surrounding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s alleged involvement in the liquor scam would soon be revealed.”Law is taking its course…Yesterday he (Arvind Kejriwal) was bargaining in the court that he is the Chief Minister of Delhi, hence he should be given two months but there is a rule of law in the country. The law treats every criminal the same, it is proven today. Soon the truth of Arvind Kejriwal’s involvement in liquor scam will be revealed to everyone,” Sachdeva told ANI.On Friday, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court sent Kejriwal to ED custody till March 28. The probe agency had asked for 10 days remand after arresting the Delhi CM in the alleged Delhi excise policy case.

    In its arguments before the court, the ED alleged that the Delhi Chief Minister is the key conspirator and kingpin in demanding kickbacks from businessmen. The agency further claimed that Kejriwal was directly involved in the formation of the excise policy.

    The ED counsel claimed that Vijay Nair, who was the media in charge of AAP, was working for Delhi CM Kejriwal. Nair, who the agency said lives adjacent to the residence of Kejriwal, acted as a middleman between the AAP and the South group.

    Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Kejriwal opposed the remand plea and submitted that the agency needs to show the necessity of arrest. Singhvi argued that the power of arrest and the necessity of arrest are two different things.

    Kejriwal was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the excise policy case on Thursday after the Delhi High Court refused interim protection to Kejriwal from coercive action in connection with the excise policy case.

    The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi excise policy case 2022, which was later scrapped.

    Two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are in judicial custody in the excise policy case. Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning. On October 5, ED arrested Sanjay Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member.

    Kejriwal’s arrest came days after the ED arrested Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao K Kavitha, in connection with its investigation into money laundering charges linked to the now-scrapped excise policy. Kavitha is in ED custody till March 23.

  • Sanjay Singh involved in creating special purpose vehicle to launder proceeds of crime, says ED

    The Enforcement Directorate opposed the bail petition of Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh in Excise Policy case before Delhi High Court and alleged that he was involved in creating a special purpose vehicle to launder the proceeds of crime that would have been generated from the business arising out the policy changes as conspired by him and his co-conspirators.Sanjay Singh was then involved in acquiring, possessing, concealing, dissipating and using proceeds of crime generated from the Delhi Liquor Scam pertaining to the policy period of 2021-22, said ED.ED in its reply copy also stated that Sanjay Singh has been in possession of certain confidential documents pertaining to the investigation of this case which are not in public domain. During the search conducted at the premises of the accused Sanjay Singh on 04.10.2023, certain confidential documents which are print of images taken in the office of ED and the same are obtained illegally.Sanjay Singh is one of the key conspirators in the Delhi Liquor Scam. Sanjay Singh is closely associated with number of accused/suspects in this case.

    Singh has gained illegal money/kickbacks which is Proceeds of Crime generated from the liquor policy (2021-22) scam. Further, he has also played role in conspiracy with others in respect of Excise Policy 2020-21.

    Recently, Delhi High Court had sought response of Enforcement Directorate on regular bail plea moved by Aam Aadmi Party’s senior leader Sanjay Singh in a money laundering case related to alleged Delhi’s excise policy scam case. Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case on October 4, 2023.The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma is examining the bail plea of Sanjay Singh.Sanjay Singh through plea stated that he is neither an accused nor a suspect in a scheduled/predicate offence (CBI Offence), wherein, investigation is continuing since 17.8.2022 and despite 3 Charge-Sheets/ Supplementary Charge-Sheets having been filed, absolutely nothing has been surfaced against him till date.

    Bail Plea further stated that at the outset, the Applicant states that the Applicant is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing or any violation of the provisions of the PMLA in any manner whatsoever and therefore, the Applicant’s life and liberty must be protected from unwarranted and unjustified encroachment at the hands of the DoE on the basis of a false, malicious and motivated case without any merit.

    On December 22, 2023 the trial court had dismissed his bail and said, “the Court is of prima facie view that the case against him is genuine. Evidence shows his involvement in alleged offence of money laundering. There is reasonable grounds for believing that he is guilty of the alleged offence of money laundering.”

    Trial Court Judge expressed his prima facie view and said, “The evidence and material shows involvement of applicant in commission of the alleged offence of money laundering because he is shown to have been, directly or indirectly, involved in the process or activities connected with proceeds of crime generated through the scheduled offences case of CBI.”

    The trial court further had said, “The evidence and material is also sufficient to furnish this court reasonable grounds for believing that he is ‘guilty’ of the said offence in terms of provisions contained Under section 45 of the PMLA.

    It can be said that the conditions laid down by the section 45 for grant of bail are not satisfied.