Excise PMLA case: Delhi HC seeks ED response on businessman Amandeep Dhall's bail plea

New Delhi [India], June 19 : The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of the Enforcement Directorate on a bail plea by Delhi-based businessman Amandeep Singh Dhall challenging the trial court order in a money laundering case related to liquor policy matter.

The bench of Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju on Monday issued notice to Enforcement Directorate and fixed the matter for June 28, 2023. Recently the trial court has refused to grant bail to Dhall in both CBI and ED cases.

The trial Court Judge MK Nagpal while passing the order stated that prima facie evidence leads this court to form an opinion that the allegations made by the prosecution against the applicant are serious in nature and he is not entitled to be released on bail even in this scheduled offences case of CBI.

Amandeep Singh Dhall is the executive director of Brindco Sales Private Limited and was arrested on March 1 this year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the Excise case. He was later in April month also arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

According to the ED, Aman Singh Dhall a Delhi-based businessman has allegedly conspired with other persons and is actively involved in the formation of policy and facilitating kickbacks to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its recoupment by the South Group through various means.

According to the CBI, during the course of searches conducted at the premises of the applicant Amandeep Dhall on August 19 in 2022, certain incriminating documents relating to the excise policy have been seized and these documents duly show involvement of the applicant in the commission of the alleged offences of CBI case and hence, though he joined the investigation of this case on 10 different occasions and also provided some information and documents during the initial investigation since he failed to give any satisfactory replies or explanations about the oral and other documentary evidence which surfaced on record showing his involvement in the above conspiracy and cartel, he has rightly been arrested in this case and is, thus, not entitled to be released on bail.

The ED and the CBI have 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 the 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.