Delhi court defers decision on bail plea of ad firm director in excise policy case

On Friday, a Delhi court deferred its decision on the bail request of an advertising company director accused of handling the AAP’s campaign during the 2022 Goa assembly elections, in connection with a money laundering case associated with the supposed Delhi excise policy scam.

Special Judge M K Nagpal said the court will pass order on the application of Rajesh Joshi, the director of Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd, on April 28.

Joshi was arrested on February 8 and is currently in judicial custody.

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Rebuttal arguments on the pending bail application of accused Rajesh Joshi have been heard and concluded. The bail application of co-accused Manish Sisodia is fixed for consideration/ clarifications/ orders on April 26 and bail application of another accused Gautam Malhotra is fixed for the same purpose on April 28.

“Order on the bail application of Sisodia is already under dictation. Hence, this application is also directed to be listed on April 28 with the bail application of Malhotra for consideration/ clarifications/ orders, the judge said.

The ED had on April 6 filed a supplementary charge sheet against Joshi and other accused, including Raghav Magunta, Gautam Malhotra and five firms related to them, in the case.

The ED had earlier claimed the links of the advertising company promoter to alleged diversion of “kickbacks” for the Goa assembly polls in 2022 are under the scanner of the agency.

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It claimed a part of the alleged Rs 100 crore kickbacks generated in the scrapped Delhi excise policy were used in the Goa assembly election campaign by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

It had alleged that out of the “bribe of Rs 100 crore” paid by an entity called South Group of liquor businessmen and politicians, Rs 30 crore was handled by another accused Dinesh Arora with the connivance of other accused Abhishek Boinpally, Joshi and a person identified only by his first name Sudhir.

Chariot Productions, the ED said, was an entity engaged by AAP for advertising and other work for their Goa poll campaign.

The EDs money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR.

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The court had on March 31 dismissed AAP leader Sisodia’s bail application in the corruption case being probed by the CBI, saying he was “prima facie the architect” in the criminal conspiracy behind alleged payment of advance kickbacks of around Rs 90-100 crore meant for him and his colleagues in the Delhi government.

The court had observed the release of the senior AAP leader, at the moment, will “adversely affect the ongoing investigation”.

The CBI and the ED had arrested Sisodia for alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and for laundering the money so generated.

(With agency inputs)