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Businessman accused in liquor case seeks nod to turn approver
Dinesh Arora, a businessman accused in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s probe into alleged irregularities in Delhi excise policy 2021-22 has sought to become an approver in a move supported by the agency
Dinesh Arora, a businessman accused in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s probe into alleged irregularities in Delhi excise policy 2021-22 has sought to become an approver in a move supported by the agency.
CBI has previously claimed that Arora is a “close associate” of Delhi’s deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia.
AAP has dismissed the entire investigation into the excise policy as a witch hunt aimed at weakening the party ahead of the Himachal and Gujarat assembly elections.
The party’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj in a press conference on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading fake allegations in the run-up to civic elections in Delhi and assembly polls in Gujarat.
Bharadwaj said that over the past four months, “nothing has been found” in the excise policy case against Sisodia. “Dirty, fabricated stories will come out now and the central government will put all its credibility on the line, so that the BJP can benefit in the Gujarat and Delhi elections,” he said.
The businessman moved a plea under section 306 (tender of pardon to the accomplice) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) .
“I am ready to make a voluntary and true disclosure with respect to my role in the commission of the alleged offences. I have also cooperated in the investigation of the case by CBI and have made true statements before the Investigation officer. I have also made a confessional statement before the ACMM (additional chief metropolitan magistrate) regarding facts and events pertaining to the commission of alleged offences,” Arora said in court on Monday.
“I request to be granted a pardon in this case. I have agreed without any pressure, undue influence or coaxing by CBI or any other (agency). I am also ready to abide by all the terms and conditions which the court may impose upon me,” he added.
Special judge MK Nagpal said that he would hear the matter on November 14 after Arora’s disclosure statement is recorded by the magistrate as prescribed under the procedure.
The court has already granted Arora anticipatory bail after the CBI declined to contest his plea.
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 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 Vinai Kumar 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 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that Saxena’s predecessor sabotaged the move with a few last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues.
Arora’s counsel, advocate Rajesh Kumar Thakur said that CBI, in its reply, has supported his client’s request for turning a government witness, adding that agency has admitted that Arora co-operated fully and disclosed vital facts.
“CBI in its reply has said that they have found more evidence and material on the basis of the disclosures made by Arora during questioning and so they did not oppose the application under 306 CrPC,” Thakur said.
The counsel also said that he has moved an application for making the proceedings in-camera, to avoid the presence of other lawyers and media.
In its first information report (FIR) registered on August 17, CBI claimed that Dinesh Arora is a “close associate” of Manish Sisodia and that Sameer Mahendru (managing director of Jor Bagh-based Indospirit Group, a distributor) made a payment of ₹1 crore to the UCO Bank account of Radha Industries, a company managed by Arora.
After his questioning for almost nine hours last month, Sisodia refused all allegations and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of rigging charges in its attempt to topple the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi.
Sisodia was named as the primary accused in the FIR amid allegations of deliberate procedural lapses that provided undue benefits to some in the tender for liquor licenses in 2021-22.
