CBI charge sheets seven in Delhi Excise case, say officials

The CBI on Friday filed its first charge sheet against seven accused including two arrested businessmen in the Delhi Excise policy scam case officials saidBesides the two arrested businessmen those named in the charge sheet include the head of a news channel a Hyderabadbased liquor businessman a Delhibased liquor distributor and two officials of the excise department they saidDelhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia named in the CBI FIR does not figure in the present charge sheet which is filed within 60 days of the probe agency taking the investigationThe accused have been charged under IPC section 120B criminal conspiracy and provisions of bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act officials saidThe agency has kept the probe open related to the role of others broader conspiracy with licensees the money trail cartelisation and larger conspiracy in framing and executing the controversial excise policy in the national capital which was rolled backThe central probe agency has got an alleged close associate of Sisodia Dinesh Arora to spill beans by turning approver in the case they saidAlso read PM Modi to attend Constitution Day celebrations launch new initiativesArora recorded his statement under section 164 of CrPC before the magistrate and was granted a pardon by a special court for helping in the investigationThe CBI after registering a case against 15 people in August this year had carried out searches at various placesIt is alleged the Delhi Governments policy to grant licenses to liquor traders was influenced in favour of certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it a charge strongly refuted by Delhis ruling Aam Aadmi Party they saidBesides Sisodia who holds the excise portfolio in the Delhi government the CBI has named the then excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna the then deputy excise commissioner Anand Kumar Tiwari assistant excise commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar nine businessmen and two companies as accused in the caseThe agency has alleged that Sisodia and other accused public servants recommended and took decisions pertaining to the Delhi Excise Policy 202122 without the approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post tenderThe agency alleged Amit Arora Director of Buddy Retail Pvt Limited in Gurgaon Dinesh Arora and Arjun Pandey are close associates of Sisodia and were actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantage collected from liquor licensees for the accused public servantsThe CBI has alleged that Radha Industries managed by Dinesh Arora received Rs 1 crore from Sameer Mahendru of IndospiritsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever