Excise case: Order on cognizance point on ED chargesheet reserved

NEW DELHI: Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Monday reserved the order on the point of cognizance on Enforcement Directorate's (ED) second supplementary chargesheet (prosecution complaint) in the excise policy case naming three individuals and five related firms.

The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Monday, after hearing the submissions by ED's counsels, decided to keep the order reserved.

The court fixed May 1 for passing an order on cognizance point. It was informed that the chargesheet has been filed against Raghav Magunta, Rajesh Joshi and Gautam Malhotra and five entities pertaining to these three accused.

Further investigation is continuing to investigate the role of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) naming the accused and other persons on various allegations, ED informed the court.

Advocates Zohaib Hossain and Naveen Kumar Matta appeared for ED in the matter.

ED stated that there is sufficient evidence on record to establish the charge of commission of the offence of money laundering against these accused. Recently the Court dismissed the bail plea of Raghav Magunta in the matter.

The bail plea of Gautam Malhotra and Rajesh Joshi was already examined by the same court.

Earlier, in the first supplementary chargesheet named 12 accused naming (Vijay Nair, Sharath Reddy, Binoy Babu, Abhishek Boinpally, Amit Arora) and seven companies.

The first chargesheet was filed by the ED in the case against Sameer Mahendru and his related firms.

The ED is yet to file the chargesheet against Delhi's former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and businessman Amandeep Singh Dhal in the cade.

Amandeep Singh Dhall was arrested on March 1 and Manish Sisodia was arrested on March 9, 2023. Punjab-based businessman Gautam Malhotra is the son of former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA and liquor baron Deep Malhotra. Raghav Magunta is the son of Ongole Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, a member of the YSR Congress Party and Rajesh Joshi is the owner of Chariot Production Media Pvt Ltd. Joshi had run the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) campaign during the 2022 Goa Assembly polls.

The ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (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 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.

The FIR in the case was instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.