The Delhi High Court, Today, On 25th April, issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding the Excise Policy case. This notice pertains to resuming charge arguments in the ongoing legal proceedings. The case involves significant implications for excise policies in the region. The court’s action indicates a pivotal phase in the legal process.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday served a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in response to a petition by Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai. Pillai’s petition challenges a trial court’s decision that permitted the CBI to continue presenting arguments on charges related to the Delhi Excise Policy case.
In his plea, Pillai argued that despite over 15 months having elapsed, the investigation remains incomplete.
The petition stated,
“The prosecution’s push for a ‘speedy trial’ should not be allowed to compromise his rights,”
It also stated that BRS Leader K Kavitha also arrested recently by the CBI in which Chargesheet is yet to be filed. Appearing for Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Advocate Nitesh Rana submitted that the arguements on charges already begun before the trial court and the next date of hearing before the said court is May 7, 2024.
He requested the High Court to decide the matter before that. Having noted the submissions, the Bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma sought a response from CBI in the matter and fixed it for May 3, 2024. The petition filed by Advocate Deepak Nagar for Arun Ramchandra Pillai stated,that further investigation still ongoing.
Regarding several aspects, the CBI may include additional accused individuals as part of their ongoing investigation progress. On March 22, the trial court judge emphasized in their order that two accused persons, Manish Sisodia and Amandeep Singh Dhall, have been in judicial custody for an extended period.
The judge expressed concern that further delays due to ongoing investigations would unfairly impact these individuals, stating,
“Their interests will be more prejudiced if the proceedings of this case are halted for no fault on their part.”
The judge emphasized the need to prioritize the interests of all accused persons, particularly those in judicial custody, by commencing hearings on charges without waiting for the investigation’s conclusion.
Arun Ramchandra Pillai currently in judicial custody following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi Excise Policy case. While Arun accused in the CBI case, previously not arrested in that matter. The Hyderabad-based businessman, Arun Ramachandra Pillai, was detained by the ED in March 2023 in connection with the Delhi Excise policy scandal. Allegations suggest that Arun collected bribes from Sameer Mahendru, the Managing Director of a spirits company, and passed them on to other accused individuals.
A supplementary complaint lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the purported liquor scam case, targeting Arun Ramachandran Pillai and Delhi-based businessman Amandeep Dhall. According to the chargesheet, Arun Pillai accused of providing false statements under section 50 of the PMLA, 2002, during the course of the investigation.
According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED),
“Arun Pillai has been directly involved in the destruction of evidence and has altered/used/destroyed a total of 5 mobile phones within a 2-year timeframe. The mobile phones used by Arun Pillai during the period of the scandal were not submitted by him during the investigative process.”
Moreover, as per the chargesheet, Conversations involving Arun Pillai discovered on other individuals’ phones absent from his own seized devices during the search. This absence attributed to Arun Pillai‘s involvement in evidence tampering. Additionally, Arun Pillai accused of attempting to create a legal shield by supposedly retracting all statements made during the investigative period under section 50 of PMLA.
The agency further stated that,
“Arun Pillai’s actions are solely aimed at constructing a legal front and are driven by the intention to obstruct the investigation.”
In the ED case, Businessman Amandeep Singh Dhal arrested on March 1 and Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai arrested on March 6, 2023. The ED and the CBI alleged that irregularities committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours extended to licence holders, the licence fee waived or reduced and the L-1 licence extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.
Allegedly, the Excise Department decided to refund an Earnest Money Deposit of approximately Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer, contravening established rules. Despite the absence of a legal provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees granted from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, citing COVID-19 reasons. This purportedly resulted in a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer.
The investigation stems from a reference made by the Union Home Ministry based on a recommendation by Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.