New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over Hyderabad businessman Abhishek Boinpally’s plea against the trial court’s order denying him bail in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam case.
Boinpally had moved the High Court on March 14.
Appearing for Boinpally, his senior counsel apprised the bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma that his client’s son’s admission is hanging as both the parents have to appear in the school these days.
The court then issued notice to ED while keeping the issue of maintainability open and listed the matter for the next hearing on April 12.
During the last hearing, Boinpally’s plea was opposed by the ED saying that it lacks maintainability.
Boinpally’s counsel had contended that his client is in custody since October 2022.
Boinpally was a Director of Anoos Electrolysis & Obesity Pvt. Ltd, Anoos Health & Wellness Pvt. Ltd., Robin Distribution LLP, Agasti Ventures, SS Mines & Minerals, Master Sand LLP, Neoverse Realty Pvt. Ltd., Zeus Networking Pvt. Ltd and Valuecare Esthetic Pvt. Ltd.
On February 16, four others — Vijay Nair, Sarath Chandra Reddy, Sameer Mahendru and Benoy Babu — were also denied bail by the Special Judge, Rouse Avenue Courts, M.K. Nagpal, who held that the method adopted by the five of them for committing the offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) makes up for sufficient incriminating evidence.
As the ED has already made serious allegations of tampering evidence against them, the court had said that it will also be not possible to hold that the accused persons will not try to tamper with the evidence in the case if they are released on bail.
“Keeping in view the totality of facts and circumstances and the above discussion, this court is of the considered opinion that none of the applicants/accused deserves to be released on bail in this case at this stage of proceedings as the allegations made against them are quite serious and relate to commission of an economic offence of money-laundering defined by Section 3 and made punishable by Section 4 of the PMLA. Hence, their bail applications are being dismissed,” the court had said.
On March 16, a Delhi court extended another Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai’s ED custody till Monday in the same case.
Special Judge M.K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Courts had noted that the ED had gathered some new details after a confrontation with Butchi Babu Gorantla, Hyderabad-based chartered accountant, on March 15.
The probe agency has alleged that Pillai was involved in forming a cartel (now called South Group) of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers which controlled more than 30 per cent of the liquor business in the national capital.
The ED named the cartel, South Group, which includes BRS leader K. Kavitha, Sarath Reddy, the promoter of Aurobindo Pharma, YSRCP MP from Ongole, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta and others.
The South Group was represented by Pillai, Boinpally and Butchi Babu, the agency has claimed.
