Explained: The Delhi Excise Policy corruption case, the key players, and what the CBI accused them of

The report alleged that “kickbacks…received by the AAP Delhi government and AAP leaders” from owners and operators of alcohol businesses for preferential treatment such as discounts and extensions in licence fee, waiver on penalties and relief due to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, etc. were used to “influence” the Assembly elections held in Punjab and Goa in early 2022.

The report was referred to the CBI, which opened an investigation and arrested Sisodia.

The agency claimed that Rs 100 crore in “advance kickbacks” was paid to AAP leaders by a Hyderabad-based entity described as the “South Group”. This money, the agency alleged, was used by the party to fund its 2022 Assembly election campaigns in Goa and Punjab.

Who were the accused?

* Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi CM, was named as a “key conspirator” by the CBI. He was accused of being involved in the formulation of the policy and the use of proceeds of crime.

* Manish Sisodia, the then Excise Minister was accused of taking “arbitrary and unilateral decisions” to benefit private liquor players.

* K. Kavitha, BRS leader, former MP, and daughter of former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao was alleged to be a key member of the “South Group”, who had allegedly orchestrated the Rs 100 crore payment.

* Durgesh Pathak, AAP’s Goa election in-charge was accused of managing the funds allegedly diverted for the campaign.

* Vijay Nair, former AAP communications in-charge, was allegedly the middleman who brokered the deal between the “South Group” and the AAP government.

* Abhishek Boinpally, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, and Butchibabu Gorantla allegedly represented the interests of the so-called “South Group”. Boinpally and Pillai were accused of facilitating the movement of the alleged kickback money.

* Sameer Mahendru, owner of Indospirits Group, was allegedly a major beneficiary of the “cartelisation” charges.

* Amandeep Singh Dhall, the owner of Brindco Spirits, was accused of being involved in the formulation of the policy to suit big distributors.

* P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, the director of Aurobindo Pharma, was accused of controlling retail zones through proxy entities. He later turned an approver in the case and the agency heavily relied on his statements.

* Amit Arora, Director of Buddy Retail, was accused of being a middleman for kickbacks.

* Kuldeep Singh and Narender Singh were former Excise Department officials accused of overlooking procedural violations.

* Rajesh Joshi, Arvind Kumar Singh, Chanpreet Singh Rayat, and Vinod Chauhan were accused of handling the physical movement of cash or managing logistics for the election funding.

* Mootha Goutam, Arjun Pandey, Damodar Prasad Sharma, Prince Kumar and Ashish Chand Mathur had primarily been named for their associations with the main accused and for providing “fronts” for financial transactions.