Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : The Enforcement Directorate in its second supplementary chargesheet filed in a local special court here has mentioned the name of AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.
In the chargesheet, the ED said arrested former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s former secretary, C Arvind, had told the probe agency that there was a meeting held at the residence of his ex-boss’ residence with Raghav Chadha in attendance.
According to C Arvind’s statement, the meeting was also attended by Punjab Excise Commissioner Varun Roojam, Vijay Nair, an accused in the case, and other officers from the Punjab Excise department.
Meanwhile, in a statement Chadha unequivocally deny commission of any alleged offence in any manner, in relation to the said meeting or otherwise.
He said, “News articles/reportage stating that I have been named as an accused in a complaint filed by the enforcement directorate are factually wrong, incorrect and appears to be part of a malicious propaganda to harm my reputation and credibiltiy.”
The AAP leader further said, “I have not been named as an accused or even a suspect in any of the complaints filed by the enforcement directorate. There are no allegations whatsoever against me in the said complaints. It appears that in the complaint my name is mentioned as an attendee to some meeting though the basis of making such an allegation is not clear.”
He went on to add: “I vehemently and unequivocally deny commission of any alleged offence in any manner, in relation to the said meeting or otherwise. I request the media and publication houses not to cause any incorrect reporting and clarify this issue, lest I will be constrained to take legal action.”
This comes days after the CBI named Manish Sisodia as an accused for the first time in its supplementary chargesheet filed before a CBI court in Delhi. Sisodia was arrested by the probe agency in February after they questioned him for eight hours in connection with the case.
It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers, who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP. The policy was later scrapped by the Delhi government.
The ED has earlier levelled major allegations against Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia.
In the first supplementary chargesheet, the ED had said the new liquor policy was Kejriwal’s brain-child and that he, along with Sisodia, provided immunity to Vijay Nair so he could engage in illegal activities while framing and implementing the policy. Vijay Nair was the first accused to be arrested in the case.
The central probe agency also levelled charges against BRS leader K Kavitha and said she met Sameer Mahendru, a liquor trader who was among the accused in the case, at her residence in Hyderabad in 2022. It said the meeting was attended by others accused in the case, including businessmen Sarath Chandra Reddy and Abhishek Boinpally, and Kavitha’s alleged front man Arun Pillai.
