New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the bail plea of former Aam Aadmi Party communication in-charge Vijay Nair in the money laundering case related to the Delhi Excise Policy scam. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued a notice to the central agency and sought a response within two weeks.
On the arguments of Vijay Nair’s lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Supreme Court bench said that the petitioner has been in custody for almost 2 years since his arrest by the CBI and is continuously in the custody of the ED. The court has issued a notice to the ED in this matter and asked it to file a reply. Senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and Vikram Chaudhary, appearing on behalf of the petitioner, argued that Nair has been in jail for almost two years. Citing Manish Sisodia getting bail, he said that there were 353 witnesses and the trial has not started till date.
What is the matter?
Let us tell you that Nair, who was arrested on 13 November 2022, has challenged the trial court’s July 29 order dismissing his default bail plea. Earlier, the High Court had refused to grant bail to Nair and other co-accused in the money laundering case on July 3 last year. The money laundering case stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR registered after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended an inquiry into the new excise policy in 2021, which was later repealed.
The CBI has alleged that Nair met some other co-accused, liquor manufacturers and distributors, at various hotels in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi to arrange for ‘illegally earned money through hawala operators’, which was given to the AAP in return for favours by the party government in Delhi. It has also claimed that businessman and co-accused Abhishek Boinpally was part of the meetings and was involved in the money laundering conspiracy along with another accused liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru.
Who are the accused?
The ED had raided nearly three dozen places in Delhi and Punjab after the arrest of Mahendru, managing director of Delhi’s Jor Bagh-based liquor distributor Indospirit Group. Other accused in the case are former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, former Excise Commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, former Deputy Commissioner of Excise Department Anand Tiwari and former Assistant Commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.
According to the CBI and ED, irregularities were committed while amending the excise policy and undue benefits were given to the license holders. The Delhi government had implemented the excise policy on November 17, 2021, but repealed it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.
Tags: Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Delhi liquor scam, Manish sisodia
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 12, 2024, 19:59 IST
