New Delhi (The Hawk): In connection with a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy case, a Delhi court on Wednesday sentenced businessman Amit Arora to two weeks of judicial detention. Arora, the director of Buddy Retail Private Limited in Gurugram, was brought before the court by the Enforcement Directorate at the conclusion of his 14-day incarcerated interrogation. Special Judge N K Nagpal then ordered Arora to be held in judicial custody until December 28.
The Special Public Prosecutor for the agency, N K Matta, filed the application and requested the order, arguing that the accused did not need to remain in detention.
In accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Arora was detained by the ED (PMLA). In this case, the CIA has already detained six people, including him.
The ED had informed the court that Arora was engaged in activities related to the purchase, possession, and use of criminal gains.
According to the federal agency's application, which was submitted through attorney Mohd Faizan Khan, the money laundering case is related to a CBI FIR.
In its initial charge sheet submitted in the case last week, the CBI alleged that Arora, along with co-accused Dinesh Arora and Arjun Pandey, is a close friend of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and that the three were actively involved in "managing" and "diverting" the unauthorised financial advantage obtained from liquor licence holders for the accused public employees.
Last Monday, the ED also submitted the case's first charge sheet (prosecution complaint), which names the accused parties as the businessman Sameer Mahandru, his company Indospirit, and a few other organisations.
Additionally, the CBI has secured Dinesh Arora's approval in the matter. It had claimed that the Delhi government, with its decision to award liquor traders licences, had favoured some dealers who had reportedly paid bribes for it. The ruling AAP firmly denied this claim.
"It was further alleged that irregularities were perpetrated in the extension of the L-1 licence without permission, waiver or reduction of the licencing fee, changes to the excise policy, and the distribution of undue favours to the licensee, among other things.
According to the CBI, "it was also alleged that unlawful proceeds resulting from these crimes were directed to concerned public personnel by private parties by making false entries in their books of accounts."
The CBI had named Sisodia, who oversees excise matters for the Delhi government, as well as the former excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, the former deputy excise commissioner Anand Kumar Tiwari, the assistant excise commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar, nine businesspeople, and two companies as defendants in its FIR submitted on August 17.
The agency claims in its FIR that Sisodia and other defendant public employees advocated and made decisions on the Delhi Excise Policy 2021–22 without seeking the necessary approval from the appropriate authorities and with the "intention to offer undue favours to the licensees post tender."
(Inputs from Agencies)