Delhi excise policy case: Court grants regular bail to accused Sarvesh Mishra

New Delhi [India], January 24 : The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi allowed the hearing of the plea of accused Sarvesh Mishra in connection with the excise policy case and granted him regular bail on Wednesday.
Mishra has been charge-sheeted with AAP MP Sanjay Singh in the money laundering case. He was not arrested during the investigation and is out on interim bail.
Special Judge MK Nagpal granted regular bail to Sarvesh Mishra on furnishing a bail bond of Rs one lakh. The court had reserved an order on bail on January 20, 2024.
On January 10, 2024, the court granted interim bail to Sarvesh Mishra until the disposal of his regular bail application.
Advocate Farrukh Khan, counsel for Sarvesh Mishra, furnished the bail bond of Rs one lakh and one surety in the like amount.
Advocate Farrukh Khan argued on the regular bail application of Sarvesh Mishra and submitted that the rigours of Section 45 of the PMLA do not apply in the case of applicant Sarvesh Mishra. He was not arrested during the investigation and a charge sheet has been filed without arrest.
Earlier, Mishra was summoned and directed to appear before the court. The court, on December 19, took cognizance of the supplementary prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed against AAP MP Sanjay Singh and his associate Sarvesh Mishra.
On December 2, last year, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) filed a supplementary prosecution complaint (charge sheet) against AAP's Sanjay Singh and his alleged associate, Sarvesh Mishra, in the case.
On October 4, the ED arrested MP Sanjay Singh. According to the ED, it's the fifth supplementary chargesheet in the case. This case is presently at the stage of scrutiny of documents.
ED earlier told the court that Sanjay Singh was part of the conspiracy to collect kickbacks from liquor groups in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
Sanjay Singh allegedly had close relations with now-approver Dinesh Arora, who allegedly introduced accused Amit Arora to Singh.
Dinesh Arora was allegedly in regular touch with Sanjay Singh. This has been proven by an analysis of call detail records. Singh allegedly received proceeds of crime of Rs 2 crore, stated the ED.
ED earlier claimed that Singh and his associates played a part in the Delhi government's decision to give licences to alcohol shops and merchants in 2020, causing losses to the state exchequer and violating anti-corruption laws
ED had previously searched several locations, including the residences and offices of Sanjay Singh's close associate, Ajit Tyagi and other contractors and businessmen who allegedly benefited from the policy.
In its nearly 270-page supplementary charge sheet, the ED has called former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia a key conspirator in the case.
The Delhi liquor scam case or the excise policy case pertains to allegations that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 allowed cartelization and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge that has been strongly refuted by the AAP.
ED filed its first chargesheet in the case last year. The agency said it has so far undertaken over 200 search operations in this case after filing an FIR after taking cognizance of a CBI case that was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi lieutenant governor.
The CBI inquiry was recommended based on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR) 1993, Delhi Excise Act 2009, and Delhi Excise Rules 2010.