After hours after raids in the alleged excise scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR in which it named 15 accused, including Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. The Deputy CM is in charge of the excise department which rolled out a new policy last year under which government liquor shops were shut and private players were given licenses.
The CBI, which is conducting raids at multiple locations, has also booked then excise commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, deputy commissioner Anand Tiwari and assistant commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar. Besides these, the central agency has booked liquor company executives, dealers, unknown public servants and private persons.
The CBI in its FIR states that Manish Sisodia, Arva Gopi Krishna, Anand Tiwari, and Pankaj Bhatnagar were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post tender.
The probe agency also mentions that “Vijay Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company, Manoj Rai, ex-employee of Pernod Ricard, Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits and Sameer Mahendru, owner of Inda Spirits, were actively involved in irregularities in framing and implementation of excise policy of Delhi.
“Source further revealed that some of the L-1 Licence holders are issuing credit notes to retail vendors with an ab-intio intention to divert the funds as undue pecuniary advantage to Public servants. In furtherance to
, they are showing false entries in their books of accounts to keep their record straight,” the CBI FIR states.
List of accused named by CBI
– Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister
– Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise)
– Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise)
– Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise)
– Vijay Nair, former CEO, M/s Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company
– Manoj Rai, Ex-Employee of M/s. Pernod Ricard
– Amandeep Dhal, Director, M/s Brindco Sales Pvt. Ltd
– Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director, lndospirit Group
– Amit Arora, Director, M/s Buddy Retail Private Limited
– Buddy Retail Private Limited
– Dinesh Arora
– Mahadev Liqours
– Sunny Marwah, Authorised Signatory, M/s Mahadev Liquors
– Arun Ramchandra Pilla
– Arjun Pandey
