Excise Case: Delhi HC seeks ED's response on Amandeep Singh Dhall bail plea

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday sought the response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Businessman Amandeep Dhall's bail plea in a money laundering case related to the excise policy case.

Dhall is a director of Brindco Sales and was arrested on March 1, 2023, by ED.

The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Tuesday issued a notice to Enforcement Directorate and fixed the matter for hearing on April 26.

The same Court had recently allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to examine and quiz businessman Amandeep Singh Dhall in Tihar Jail in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.

Amandeep Singh Dhall is presently confined in Tihar Jail in Judicial Custody in connection with a money maundering case, which is tied to excise case.

The CBI, through an application, stated, "Some fresh evidence has surfaced which requires further examination of Amandeep Singh Dhall to unearth the conspiracy hatched between the accused in relation to the Excise case".

After going through the application, the special Judge MK Nagpal allowed CBI officers to visit Tihar Jail for recording Amandeep Dhall's statement.

Dhall is the executive director of Brindco Sales Private Limited and was arrested on March 1, 2023, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the Excise case.

The CBI also informed the court that the agency, earlier, examined him in the case before his arrest by the ED.

On Monday, ED's through Special Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta submitted in court that they are filing the next chargesheet (Prosecution Complaint) against Manish Sisodia, Amandeep Singh Dhal and Arun Ramchandra Pillai by the end of this month in connection with the money laundering case related to irregularities in the now-scrapped excise policy.

According to the ED, Dhall, a Delhi-based businessman allegedly conspired with other persons and is actively involved in the formation of policy and facilitating kickbacks to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its recoupment by the South Group through various means.

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.

It alleged that the Excise department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021 to January 27, 2022, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.