Delhi High Court Grants Bail To Sameer Mahendru, AAP Volunteer In Excise Policy Scam Case

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday granted bail to liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteer Chanpreet Singh Rayat in a money-laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna pronounced the bail order on the applications of the two accused in the case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, and undue favours extended to license holders. The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Among Others Is Accused In Delhi Excise Policy Scam Case

The ED arrested Rayat, who allegedly "managed" cash funds for the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) campaign for the 2022 Goa Assembly polls, in connection with the money laundering case on April 12.

Mahendru was arrested in the case by the ED on September 28, 2022.

Sameer Mahendru's lawyer, Advocate Dhruv Gupta said, "Today the High Court has granted a regular bail to Sameer in the ED case. We had filed a regular bail application and our argument predominately was on the delay in the trial. He was arrested in September 2022."

The federal agency has alleged that Rayat "managed" cash payments for the AAP's campaign in the 2022 Goa polls and had a "relationship" with the ruling party in Delhi.

The ED has alleged that the "South Group" -- comprising Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate from the Ongole Lok Sabha seat Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy and others -- paid bribes amounting to Rs 100 crore to the AAP for obtaining a prime position in Delhi's liquor market as part of the now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.

Of these alleged kickbacks, the ED has claimed that the AAP used an amount of Rs 45 crore to fund its poll campaign in Goa .

The prosecution has accused Mahendru of being one of the major beneficiaries of the violations in the excise policy as he was not only running an alcoholic beverage manufacturing unit but also given a wholesale license, along with some retail licenses, in the name of his relatives, violating norms.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal , former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Kavitha and several others are accused in the excise policy cases.