Delhi bizman held in excise policy case, remanded to 5 days’ ED custody

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested liquor businessman Amandeep Dhall as part of its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in Delhi’s 2021-22 excise policy

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested liquor businessman Amandeep Dhall as part of its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in Delhi’s 2021-22 excise policy, said people familiar with the matter on Thursday. Dhall was produced in a Delhi court on Thursday, which remanded him to five days’ custody of the ED, the people said.

Dhall was produced in a Delhi court on Thursday, which remanded him to five days’ custody of the ED. (File)

Dhall, the director of Brindco Sales Pvt Ltd, was arrested on Wednesday under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), a senior officer said. He is 14th person to be arrested in the case so far — the ED has taken 10 people into custody, while the Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a further four accused.

The CBI, in a first information report (FIR) filed in the matter on August 17 last year, had claimed that Dhall was actively involved in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy, along with Aam Aadmi Party’s communications in-charge Vijay Nair and businessman Sameer Mahendru.

Brindco did not respond to requests for comment on Dhall’s arrest.

On Thursday, ED moved a remand application before the court, seeking Dhall’s custody by citing his alleged role in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy.

Advocate Zoheb Hossain, appearing for ED as special public prosecutor (SPP), submitted before the court that Dhall had been part of policy discussions and was also influential in the laundering of money. He also argued that Dhall had tampered with evidence and had not been cooperating with the agency in the investigation of the case.

Advocate Tanveer Ahmad Meer, appearing for Dhall, vehemently opposed the remand application, saying he had cooperated and had appeared before the enforcement agency around 35 times. He also pointed out that Dhall has been a whistle blower in the case, and that his statements had been the reason for various arrests.

Zoheb rebutted the submission, pointing out that the Supreme Court has previously held that a whistle blower can also be an accused.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull, after hearing submissions of the parties, remanded Dhall to five days’ ED custody.

Last week, CBI had arrested deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as part of its corruption probe. After his arrest, the AAP legislator resigned from his post and is currently being interrogated by agency sleuths.

The Delhi government’s 2021-22 excise policy aimed to revitalise the city’s flagging liquor business. It aimed to replace a sales-volume based regime with a licence fee-based one for traders, and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. The policy also introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor, a first for Delhi.

The plan, however, came to an abrupt end, with Delhi’s lieutenant governor VK Saxena recommending a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the regime. This ultimately resulted in the policy being scrapped prematurely and being replaced by the 2020-21 regime, with the AAP alleging that Saxena’s predecessor sabotaged the move with a few last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues.