Court defers passing order on Gorantla's bail plea in excise policy case

A Delhi court has deferred passing of order on Thursday on the bail plea filed by Hyderabad-based CA Butchi Babu Gorantla, recently arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the liquor policy case.

The Special Judge M. K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Courts, on February 24, had reserved his order after hearing arguments in Gorantla's bail plea from both sides and had listed it for hearing on Wednesday.

Gorantla, who is the former auditor of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's daughter MLC K. Kavitha whose name has already been dragged into the case, was arrested by the CBI in the excise policy case on February 8.

According to the CBI, he was arrested for his alleged role in formulating and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy and causing wrongful gain to Hyderabad-based wholesale and retail licensees and their beneficial owners.

Recently, the court had also given permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to question Gorantla in judicial custody after the agency moved an application seeking permission to quiz him and to record his statement in the money laundering case pertaining to the Excise Policy.

--IANS

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