New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday (September 9) granted bail to businessman Sameer Mahendru and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteer Chanpreet Singh Rayat in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, while allowing the applications of the two accused, said, “Bail granted”.
Mahendru was arrested by ED in 2022 and Ravat in April this year
While Mahendru was arrested in the money laundering case by the ED on September 28, 2022, Ravat was arrested on April 12.
Central investigating agencies – Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are investigating alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-defunct Delhi Excise Policy.
What are the allegations?
As per the ED, a bribe amounting to Rs 100 crore was paid by the “South Group”, which comprised of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy and others, to the AAP for illegal gains in Delhi’s liquor market and out of this Rs 100 crore, Rs 45 crore was used by the AAP to fund its poll campaign in the Goa Assembly elections.
While Nair has been accused of being one of the major beneficiaries of the alleged excise policy “scam”, Ravat is accused of managing AAP’s cash payments for the AAP’s campaign in the 2022 Goa assembly elections.
Apex court earlier granted bail to interim bail to Kejriwal and regular bail to Sisodia, Kavitha and Nair in ED case
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, BRS leader Kavitha, former AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair are also among the accused in the excise policy-related cases.
Recently, the Supreme Court granted bail to Sisodia and Kavitha in corruption and money laundering cases and Nair, who earlier was granted bail in the corruption case by the trial court, in the money laundering case.
The Supreme Court earlier on July 12 granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case and his plea seeking bail in the corruption case is pending before the top court, which reserved its order after hearing submissions from Kejriwal and CBI.
The apex court earlier also granted bail to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in the money laundering case.