NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court on Saturday extended judicial custody of Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress Party MP from Ongole Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and Rajesh Joshi, the director of Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd by ten days. After their earlier custody ended on Saturday, the duo was produced before Special judge Vikas Dhull of the Rouse Avenue Court and their custody got extended till March 28.
The ED arrested Magunta on February 10, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), over his alleged involvement in the generation of kickback out of the ‘tweaked’ Delhi Excise Policy that favoured ‘liquor lobbies’ and caused huge losses to the Delhi exchequer.
The ED had been seeking his custody in order to interrogate him regarding kickbacks to the tune of over Rs 100 crore which were allegedly laundered and distributed in the Delhi excise scam.
The kickbacks were allegedly laundered and distributed subsequently amongst middlemen, government of ficials and politicians. Rajesh Joshi was also arrested in the same case for his alleged involvement in the laundering of the kickbacks generated in the scam.
It was also alleged that Joshi used the liquor kickback to fund AAP’s elections campaign in Goa and he had shares in Indo Spirits, a liquor company which is allegedly involved in the Delhi liquor scam. The Delhi Liquor Policy, aimed to increase government revenue by introducing private players, was launched on November 17, 2021, under which it had provisions to award 849 liquor vends to private companies through open bidding. The national capital was divided into 32 zones, each with a maximum of 27 vends. Instead of individual licences, bidding was done zone-by-zone.