A local court in the national capital on Thursday sent businessman and current communications in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Vijay Nair, to 14-day judicial custody, in connection with alleged irregularities related to the Delhi Excise Policy scam case.
The Single-Judge Bench of Special Judge M.K. Nagpal at the Rouse Avenue Court sent Nair to judicial custody after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted that his custody was no longer needed. Nair will now be produced in court on October 20.
As per CBI, the former CEO of event management firm Only Much Louder (OML), was actively involved in the formulation of the Delhi government’s liquor policy for 2021-22.
He was also involved in meeting other co-accused and liquor manufacturers as well as distributors in different hotels at Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi for arranging the ‘ill-gotten money’ through hawala operators and channels, the national agency further alleged.
Earlier, the businessman was sent to CBI custody till October 6, after the agency demanded his custody to probe the corruption cases.
Nair was arrested by CBI on September 27 in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy scam, in which Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also an accused.
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Sources said that Nair was one of the key conspirators and involved in the alleged irregularities in the allocation of liquor licenses.
The Delhi government had implemented the new policy on November 17, 2021, under which, licences of 849 liquor shops were issued to private firms through open bidding. However, the Delhi government withdrew the policy on July 30 this year, after Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended an inquiry into it by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The national capital reverted to its old liquor policy on September 1 this year, under which only state-run stores were allowed to operate.
According to CBI, favours were given to liquor licence holders under the now-withdrawn policy. These included allegedly waiving or reducing the licence fee and granting L-1 licences for wholesale supply of liquor without the approval of the competent authority.