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.
According to the official, a tip-off was received following which an NCB team raided the specified locations and recovered 50 kg high quality heroin, 47 kg suspected narcotics, Rs 30 lakh cash, cash counting machines and other incriminating material.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested one person from West Bengal who is said to be a key accused in the April 16 communal clashes in Jahangirpuri, official sources said here on Thursday. The accused, identified as Farid alias Nilu, was arrested from his relative's place at Tamluk in East Midnapore district of West Bengal.
The community is awaiting the release of Sikh prisoners who have served more than their life sentence in jail and have not been released even after the same was approved by the Centre in 2019 on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
The accused have been identified as Mohammad Riyaz, Ankit Kumar, Kishan Yadav, Manorath, Pooja, Lovely Sharma, Neha Kashyap and Sangeet. Falling for the lucrative offer, the victim transferred Rs 8,500 online, only to receive a fake insurance certificate for his vehicle.
The official informed that a call was received at 9.30 pm regarding the incident after which one fire tender was pressed into service. At the time of filing this report, the fire tender was yet to return.
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