NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to liquor giant Pernod Ricard's executive Benoy Babu in a money laundering case arising out of the Delhi excise policy scam case.
Noting that the probe agency, ED, cannot keep people in pre-detention trial for so long, the Supreme Court in its order on Friday granted bail to Benoy Babu, one of the accused in the money laundering case connected with the Delhi excise policy scam case.
"An accused cannot be kept in pre-trial detention for such a long time and it is a fact that he is behind bars for 13 months and trial is yet to begin in the case. More accused still to be brought in. There seems to be contradictions between what CBI and ED are alleging. Let him be released on bail,” the Apex Court's two-judge bench, headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and also comprising Justice SVN Bhatt said, in its order and granted bail to Babu.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that Babu, a regional manager of liquor manufacturing company Pernod Ricard, is allegedly involved is facing prosecution in the money laundering case about Delhi excise policy scam case.
The Delhi excise policy scam case also involves high-profile accused persons including AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, who were in jail in the case. The SC further said that the trial in the case has not yet been commenced and also the charges have not been framed against him so far.
The Apex Court in its order allowed the appeal filed by Benoy Babu and directed that the accused be released on bail.
The court passed the order after hearing the appeal of Benoy Babu challenging the July 3 order of the High Court refusing him to grant him bail.
Senior advocate and former Solicitor General (SG) and noted legal expert of India, Harish Salve, appearing for Babu, pleaded to the Top court that he is inside jail for 13 months. Even he does not have any kind of policy-making power.
Opposing the submissions of Salve, Additional Solicitor General (ASG), senior lawyer SV Raju, appearing for the ED, contended that he played a key role in the case and thereby he should not be enlarged on bail at any cost.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti noted that the accused has been in custody for more than 13 months and the trial against him has still not commenced in the case.
The bench also noted that there were contradictions in the case probed by the CBI and the ED concerning Babu.
"You can't keep people behind bars before trial for long. This is not proper. We still don't know how this will go. There seems to be some contradiction between what the CBI is alleging and the ED is alleging in the case," the bench told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED.
At the outset, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Babu, said it is a completely 'bogus case' against his client which is being probed by the ED.