Delhi excise policy scam: Seven made accused by CBI in first charge sheet
Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Nov, 2022 12:56 PM
New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its first charge sheet in the Delhi excise policy scam and named seven persons as accused, including two former Excise Department officials.
The CBI has chargesheeted Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, Sameer Mahendru, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Mootha Gautham, and two government officers -- the then Deputy Commissioner of Excise Department Kuldeep Singh and then Assistant Commissioner of Excise Department Narender Singh.
The charge sheet was filed before the Rouse Avenue Court.
In the coming days, the CBI can file a supplementary charge sheet against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
"Arun Ramchandra Pillai used to collect undue pecuniary advantage from Mahendru for onward transmission to the accused public servant through Vijay Nair. Arjun Pandey once collected a huge cash amount of about Rs 2-4 crore from Mahendru on behalf of Nair," the CBI has alleged in the charge sheet.
The CBI has made Sisodia accused number one in its FIR. The CBI's FIR has been lodged under sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 477-A (Falsification of accounts) of the IPC.
The allegation against Sisodia is that liquor businessmen were allegedly given exemption of Rs 30 crore. The licence holders were allegedly given extension according to their own will. The policy rules were made by violating excise rules.
It also said that Sisodia and a few liquor barons were actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantages collected from liquor licensees to the public servants, who have been made accused in the case.
"Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise), Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise), and Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise) were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to the excise policy for the year 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post tender," read the FIR, which has been accessed by IANS.
As of now, the CBI has made two arrests in the case.
Morbi Collector G.T. Pandya told the mediapersons that the rescue operation was continuing and one person was still. "A person from Punjab was missing and his family were being informed about the incident. Search operation will continue till the body is found."
"All the three victims, including his 26-year-old wife, four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son, have sustained severe burn injuries and are undergoing treatment at the district hospital."
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday directed Labour Minister Manish Sisodia to provide financial aid of Rs 5,000 per month to labourers amid ban on construction activities. Amid rising air pollution in the capital city, the Delhi government had on Sunday banned the construction and demolition activities in line with the GRAP.
Ravindra Singh Yadav, the Special Commissioner of Police (Crime), said: "Specific inputs were received regarding liquor being transported illegally in a Tata Ace vehicle following which a trap was laid in Rohini. The vehicle was intercepted and 120 cartons containing the illicit liquor were recovered.
The official said all the three accused had arrived at the IGI on October 28, and their behaviour appeared suspicious. The official said they "deliberately did not mention about the gold in their possession with an intent to clear the impugned goods clandestinely".
Investing in Bitcoin proved costly for a businessman based in South Delhi, who lost Rs 17 lakh to a Dubai-based fraudster, who was using the bank account of a Aligarh-based man to commit the fraud, police said. The South Delhi Cyber Police arrested the Aligarh resident, who shared his banking access to the fraudster on commission basis in this regard.
