The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has mentioned AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s name in the supplementary chargesheet filed recently in the Delhi excise policy case.

ED referred to a statement of C Arvind, a former secretary of jailed former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, which mentioned about AAP parliamentarian’s presence in a meeting at Sisodia’s residence on the Delhi excise policy.

“Arvind’s statement said in the meeting held at former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s residence, in which Raghav Chadha, ACS Finance of Punjab Govt, Excise Commissioner, Varun Roojam, FCT and officers from Punjab Excise and Vijay Nair were also present,” the ED’s chargesheet stated. A designated Judge of Rouse Avenue Court took cognisance of the supplementary chargesheet on Monday.

Also read: Delhi excise scam resulted in ₹2,631-cr loss to public exchequer: ED

Chadha clarified that he has not been made an accused and wondered what was the reason for his name cropping up.

“I have not been named as an accused or even a suspect in any of the complaints filed by ED. 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,” Chadha commented. He also AAP’s in-charge of Punjab.

According to the prosecution complaint which is a chargesheet in ED’s parlance, accused Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director of Indospirit, had met Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha in early 2022 in Hyderabad at her house.

“In this meeting, Sameer, Sarath Chandra of Aurobindo Pharma, Arun Pillai, Abhishek Boinpally and Kavitha and her husband Anil were present. Kavitha told Sameer during the meeting that Arun is like family to her and that they will take this relationship to a larger scale in multiple States and expand majorly. Kavitha asked about the issues that Indo Spirits was facing in the first few months of operations and Sameer briefed her about those,” the prosecution complaint read. The ED has already questioned Telangana MLC Kavitha last month on her meetings and alleged business engagement with Indo Spirits to have a share in Delhi’s liquor business.

Sameer told Kavitha that Vijay Nair was an important person in AAP and was managing the now scrapped excise policy issues in national capital. Nair allegedly told Sameer that the new excise policy was a brainchild of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal whose statement has been recorded by the agency.

“To verify the credibility, clout and influence of Vijay Nair, Sameer asked him to make him meet Arvind Kejriwal. So Vijay fixed a meeting with him twice but did not work out. So, Vijay made Sameer speak to Arvind Kejriwal on a Facetime call,” pointed out the complaint.

The prosecution complaints names Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Rajesh Joshi, Amandeep Dhal, Gautam Malhotra, Raghav Magunta and related entities as accused in the case.

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