With Butchibabu becoming an approver in the case, the CBI can expedite the probe against others who were allegedly involved in the scam.
Butchibabu Gorantla has turned approver in the Delhi Liquor scam case. (Instagram)
BRS MLC K Kavitha’s aide and Hyderabad-based chartered accountant (CA) Butchibabu Gorantla, who was arrested by the CBI in the Delhi liquor scam, has turned approver in the case.
He is the second person to become an approver in the case after businessman Dinesh Arora, the man who allegedly coordinated the payment of the alleged kickbacks, according to the CBI.
With Butchibabu turning an approver in the case, the CBI can expedite the probe against others who were allegedly involved in the scam.
Butchibabu allegedly acted as a representative on behalf of a politician from Telangana in the so-called South Group — comprising Kavitha, YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Magunta Raghava, and others.
The South Group allegedly played a key role in formulating the Delhi liquor policy to their advantage.
A few days ago, the CBI filed a supplementary charge-sheet against the ex-deputy chief minister of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), Manish Sisodia, and three others, before the designated court in Delhi in the on-going investigation into the alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD.
The three others included Butchibabu, Amandeep Singh Dhall, director of Brindco Sales Private Limited at Kalindi Colony in New Delhi, and Arjun Pandey.
The case was registered on 17 August, 2022, against the ex-deputy chief minister, who was in-charge as excise minister of GNCTD, and 14 others for investigation into the matter of alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of excise policy for the year 2021-22 and extending post-tender benefits to private persons.
Searches were also conducted at the premises of the accused at several locations, including in Delhi, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Bengaluru, etc, which led to the recovery of incriminating documents/articles and digital records, the CBI said.
During the investigation, Manish Sisodia and a few others were arrested.
Among those in custody are Hyderabad businessmen Abhishek Boinpally and Arun Ramachandra Pillai, and Vijay Nair, the former communications in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is power in Delhi, who is alleged to have coordinated the whole scam.
Earlier, a charge-sheet was filed on 25 November, 2022, against the then-CEO of a Mumbai-based private company and six others, including the then-deputy commissioner (Excise), GNCTD, and then-assistant commissioner (Excise), GNCTD.
On 8 February, 2023, the CBI arrested Butchibabu for his alleged role in formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy, thereby causing wrongful gain to Hyderabad-based wholesale and retail licenses and their beneficial owners under the Delhi Excise Policy for year 2021-22.
Butchibabu is one of the close associates of BRS MLC K Kavitha — daughter of Telangana Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao — whose name was also figured in the case.
He had earlier worked as Kavitha’s chartered accountant.
In September 2022, CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials raided Butchibabu’s house at Aravind Nagar in Domalguda, his apartment at Sri Saikrishna Residency, and his office was also searched. Several files and documents of various companies were found.
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