Excise case: Delhi Court grants two weeks interim bail to businessman Amit Arora
Jan 30, 2023
New Delhi [India], January 30 : Amit Arora, the Director of Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam money laundering case, has been granted two weeks interim bail for wife's treatment.
Special Judge MK Nagpal on Monday stated that the court is satisfied that the family and wife of the applicant will certainly require the presence and care of the applicant during this critical time as the surgery for removal of gallbladder stones is major surgery and though not generally life-threatening, but to be performed after administration of general anaesthesia.
The court said, keeping in view the above discussion and totality of facts and circumstances, this application is allowed and the accused Amit Arora is granted interim bail for two weeks. He shall furnish before this court a personal bond in the sum of Rs. 2 lakh with one surety in the like amount.
Arora through lawyers stated that interim bail of the applicant has been sought on grounds that his wife is suffering from Cholelithiasis i.e. gallstones for a long and she requires surgery for removal thereof. It has been submitted that the applicant/Amit Arora is the head of his family and also its sole bread earner as his parents stand already expired. Even his fatherinlaw stands expired and his motherinlaw is stated to be aged around 72 years.
Earlier ED's special public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta earlier had told the court that, on the basis of the investigation conducted so far indicating that Amit Arora is actually involved in the activity connected to the acquisition, possession and use of proceeds of crime and therefore, Amit Arora is guilty of the offence of money laundering.
Arora's name is mentioned both in the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation cases as accused along with Dinesh Arora, another director of Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd.
The names of the other accused are Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the then Excise Commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, Deputy Commissioner Anand Tiwari and Assistant Commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.
Manoj Rai, a former employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhal, director of Brindco Sales; authorised signatories of Mahadev Liquors Sunny Marwah, Arun Ramchandra Pillai and Arjun Pandey are some other accused in the case.
The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July 2022 showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials had said.
The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was 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.
