Delhi Excise policy: Rouse Avenue Court grants bail to two accused in ED's case

New Delhi: Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday granted regular bail to two accused Rajesh Joshi and Gautam Malhotra in a money laundering case connected with the Delhi Excise policy.
Special Judge M K Nagpal granted bail to Rajesh Joshi and Gautam Malhotra on the condition of furnishing a bail bond of Rs two lack each and one surety bond in the same amount. These are the first regular bail granted in the money laundering case of the Delhi Excise policy.
The detailed order is awaited.
Gautam Malhotra had moved bail application through advocate Vijay S. Bishnoi. He was arrested on February 7.
Advocate Vijay Bishnoi argued that the case of money laundering is not made out against the accused.
Another accused Rajesh Joshi had moved bail application through Advocate Rajat Bhardwaj.
The court has already taken cognizance of two prosecution complaints against Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Rajesh Joshi, Amandeep Dhal, Gautam Malhotra, Raghav Magunta and related entities.
Earlier, in the first supplementary chargesheet named 12 accused naming (Vijay Nair, Sharath Reddy, Binoy Babu, Abhishek Boinpally, Amit Arora) and seven companies. The first chargesheet was filed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the case against Sameer Mahendru and his related firms.
Gautam Malhotra is a Punjab-based businessman and the son of former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA and liquor baron Deep Malhotra. Raghav Magunta is the son of Ongole Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and a member of the YSR Congress Party and Rajesh Joshi, is the owner of Chariot Production Media Pvt Ltd. Joshi, who is alleged to have run the Aam Aadmi Party campaign during the 2022 Goa Assembly polls.
In the ED case, Businessman Amandeep Singh Dhal was arrested on March 1 and Hydrabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai was arrested on March 6, 2023.
According to the ED, Aman Singh Dhall a Delhi-based businessman has conspired with other persons and is actively involved in the formation of policy and facilitating kickbacks to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its recoupment by the South Group through various means.
Arun Ramchandra Pillai a Hydrabad-based Businessman was arrested by ED for allegations that he collected bribes from another accused, Sameer Mahendru, managing director of lndospirit and handed it over to the other accused.
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.
The FIR in the case was instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
Earlier, on March 9, Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case, after hours of questioning at Tihar Jail.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI earlier in its ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). (ANI)