A Delhi court will decide on November 14 whether to allow the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to make businessman Dinesh Arora, the ‘close aide’ of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, an approver in the Delhi excise policy case.
Special Judge MK Nagpal will also hear arguments on Arora’s plea to grant him pardon in the matter and allow him to become a witness in the case.
During the hearing, the accused told the court that he was ready to make “true disclosure voluntarily” about the case and that he wanted to be an approver. In response to the court’s query, Arora said, “There is no pressure or threats by the CBI or anyone else.”
Arora’s counsel also moved an application for in-camera proceedings, saying it is a sensitive matter and the media should be kept out at this early stage. The CBI did not oppose the application for the in-camera proceedings. Earlier, the court had granted anticipatory bail to Arora after the CBI did not oppose the bail plea.
The CBI, had stated that Arora joined the investigation and disclosed certain facts which were vital for the probe and hence, “the CBI has no objection if the anticipatory bail is granted to the applicant by this court.”
In August, the CBI had registered a case in the alleged excise policy scam and issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against eight suspects named as accused in the case.
Among the accused public servants are Sisodia, then Excise Commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, Deputy Commissioner Anand Tiwari and Assistant Commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.
Apart from this there are nine private persons/businessmen and two companies.
The FIR was registered on a reference from the office of Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena routed through the Union Home Ministry.
The agency has alleged that Sisodia and other accused public servants recommended and took decisions on the excise policy 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with "an intention to extend undue favours to the licencees post tender".