Excise policy scam: Five including two excise officials get bail
NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court on Tuesday granted regular bail to five accused persons including two former Excise Department officials in the CBI registered liquor policy case, in which Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 14 others were also named as accused.
Special Judge MK Nagpal at Rouse Avenue Court granted regular bail to liquor manufacturer Indo Spirits’ Sameer Mahandru, India Ahead News MD Gautam Mootha, businessman Arun Pillai from Hyderabad and excise policy officials--Kuldeep Singh and Narender Singh.
As per the CBI's allegation, Aam Aadmi Party leaders exchanged favours and large kickbacks with a 'liquor lobby' from South India in the Delhi liquor policy.
While granting relief to the excise officials, the court noted that only there is 'oral evidence' no other documentary evidence aginst them. It was also observed that there is no recovery of any amount out of the alleged kickbacks paid by the South lobby by the politicians.
"The allegations of payment of advance kickbacks by the South liquor lobby to the politicians and other public servants in Delhi, through A3 (AAP communication overseer Vijay Nair) and A4 (Hyderabad- based businessman Abhishek Boinpally), are also admittedly oral and contained in statements of the approver and some other witnesses," the order said further.
The court also noted that Nair and Boinpally were already got bail from the court. However, they have to remain Judicial custody as they were also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Excise Money Laundering case and their Bail petition is pending before the trial court.
It was noted that none of them can be considered to be a flight risk in view of their given family background and other attending circumstances.
Earlier, the Court had granted interim bail to The Court had also granted bail to Gautam Mootha and Arun Pillai and Businessman Sameer Mahendru.
Businessman Sameer Mahendru to remain in Judicial Custody in Excise Policy case being investigated by Enforcement Directorate.
The order, however, stated that " the investigation into this case can still be considered to be at an initial stage as the role played by a large number of other persons or suspects is yet to be examined and even the physical record and digital data seized in widespread searches conducted during the course of investigation is stated to be huge and is yet to be scrutinized and conclusion of investigation may take a long time. There is every possibility of filing of few supplementary chargesheets in the case.."