New Delhi, 19th August 2022: The CBI has alleged that Sisodia and other accused public servants made recommendations relating to excise policy without the approval of the competent authority with the intention of giving undue advantage to the licenses after the tender.
According to the CBI’s FIR on alleged corruption in the excise policy 2021–2022, a liquor merchant paid Rs 1 crore to a business run by a friend of Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. The CBI has claimed this in its FIR on alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the Excise Policy 2021-22. CBI teams have been conducting more than 30 raids in several states and union territories, including Sisodia’s residence in Delhi, since Friday morning. The CBI, in its FIR registered on August 17, has named 14 persons and two companies under IPC sections relating to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
CBI raids 31 places in many states including Sisodia’s house, many incriminating documents and digital records recovered:
Besides Sisodia, the CBI has named the then Excise Commissioner Aarav Gopi Krishna, the then Deputy Excise Commissioner Anand Kumar Tiwari, Assistant Excise Commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar, nine businessmen and two companies as accused. Sisodia has the responsibility of the Excise Department along with the Education Department. The CBI FIR has been registered on a reference sent to Saxena’s office. The CBI has alleged that Sisodia and other accused public servants made recommendations and decisions relating to Excise Policy 2021-22 without the approval of the competent authority with the intention of giving undue advantage to the licensees after the tender.
The FIR states that Vijay Nair, former chief executive officer (CEO) of entertainment and event management company ‘Only Much Louder’, Manoj Rai, former employee of Pernod Records, Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits and Sameer Mahendru, owner of Indospirits, were actively involved in irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy brought in November last year.
The agency alleged that Amit Arora, Dinesh Arora and Arjun Pandey, directors of Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd in Gurgaon, are close associates of Sisodia and were actively involved in managing and transferring undue pecuniary benefits collected from liquor licenses to accused public servants. The CBI has alleged that Radha Industries, managed by Dinesh Arora, received Rs 1 crore from Sameer Mahendru of Indospirits.The FIR states that the source further disclosed that Arun Ramachandra Pillai, through Vijay Nair, used to collect undue money from Sameer Mahendru for further transfer of accused public servants. A person named Arjun Pandey collected a huge cash amount of around Rs 2-4 crore from Sameer Mahendru on behalf of Vijay Nair.
The agency alleges that Sunny Marwah’s Mahadev Liquor was given an L-1 license under the scheme. It also alleged that Marwah, who was on the board of the companies of late liquor baron Ponty Chadha, was in close contact with the accused public servants and used to bribe them regularly.