The Supreme Court has granted bail to businessman Amandeep Singh Dhall, implicated in the high-profile corruption case surrounding the Delhi Excise Policy scandal. The bail was approved on Friday, October 25, by a bench led by Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, marking a significant turn in the ongoing legal proceedings related to the case.
During the session, it was noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is handling the case, still has approximately 300 witnesses to examine and the trial has yet to begin. Justice Kant highlighted that Dhall had been in custody for over a year, a period extending significantly longer than many other accused in the same case who have already been granted bail.
Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave, representing Dhall, successfully argued for his client’s bail after detailing the 557 days Dhall spent in detention without trial. This decision comes after the Delhi High Court, on September 17, also granted regular bail to Dhall and another prominent businessman, Amit Arora, under charges from the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) related to the same excise policy.
The Delhi Excise Policy was initially introduced in November 2021 with the intention of overhauling the city’s liquor distribution framework. However, it soon became mired in controversy as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI launched investigations following allegations that the policy was manipulated to benefit select licensees, resulting in significant financial discrepancies and corruption.
Dhall, the director of Brindco Sales Private Limited, was accused of facilitating substantial illicit payments to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and being actively involved in drafting the contentious policy. According to investigators, he was part of a consortium known as the “South Group,” which included several influential businessmen and politicians who allegedly skewed the policy to favor certain parties, leading to economic malpractices.
