A Delhi court on Wednesday allowed businessman Dinesh Arora, said to be an aide of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, to turn approver on a CBI plea in the Delhi excise policy case.
Rouse Avenue Court’s Special Judge MK Nagpal gave his nod after he submitted last week that he “was ready to make true disclosure voluntarily about the case and wants to turn approver”. After this, Arora will no longer be treated as an accused in the case, where Manish Sisodia is suspected by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate as one of the prime accused. Last week, the court had granted him bail after the CBI did not oppose his move.
Arora had earlier stated, “I am ready to make a voluntary and true disclosure with respect to my role in the commission of the alleged offences. I have also cooperated in the investigation of the case by CBI and have made true statements before the investigation officer. I have also made a confessional statement before the ACMM regarding facts and events pertaining to the commission of alleged offences”.
The Court’s willingness to make Arora approver was also based on the CBI’s stand, which said he had supported the probe and had disclosed certain vital facts, so they had no objection if anticipatory bail was granted to him by this court.
The other accused in the case are former Excise Commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, Deputy Commissioner Anand Tiwari and Assistant Commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar, besides private players including Manoj Rai, a former employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhal, director of Brindco Sales; Sameer Mahendru, managing director of Indospirit Group; Buddy Retail and its director Amit Arora, Dinesh Arora, Mahadev Liquors, its authorised signatory Sunny Marwah and Arjun Pandey.