Bail pleas of all four — Sarath Reddy, Benoy Babu, Vijay Nair, and Abhishek Boinpally — will come up over the next few days.
The Enforcement Directorate carried out search-and-seize operations at 25 locations in multiple states. (Supplied)
A special court for CBI cases in New Delhi on Monday, 2 January, extended the judicial remand of the key accused in the Delhi liquor scam key accused — P Sarath Chandra Reddy, Benoy Babu, Vijay Nair, and Abhishek Boinpally — till 7 January.
The court gave its direction on a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) requesting an extension of remand of the quartet as the case had reached a crucial stage.
The judicial remand concluded on 30 December.
The ED also informed the court — which heard the plea through video conference — that it would file another charge sheet in the case on 5 January.
The agency said that various transactions carried out by the so-called “South Group” would be filed in the supplementary charge sheet.
Sources said the quartet played a crucial role in the South Group.
The investigating agencies arrested Sarath Chandra Reddy and Benoy Babu on 10 November, while Nair and Abhishek were arrested on 13 November.
Nair, who is accused No 5 in the FIR issued by the CBI in the case, was communication and media in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that is in power in Delhi.
In its prosecution complaint filed in the court, the ED said Nair, on behalf of leaders from AAP, received kickbacks to the tune of ₹100 crore from the so-called “South Group”, according the statements of various persons recorded during the investigation.
The prominent persons in the group are allegedly Sarath Chandra Reddy of Aurobindo Pharma, YSRCP MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, his son Magunta Raghava, and BRS MLC K Kavitha. The kickbacks were paid in advance to AAP leaders through Nair by the “South Group” as part of an agreement between them.
As against kickbacks that were paid, the “South Group” secured uninhibited access and undue favours, and got stakes in the established wholesale business and multiple retail zones over and above what was allowed in the policy.
To recover kickbacks, the partners of the “South Group” were given 65 percent stake in the firm Indo-Spirits in collusion with Sameer Mahendru, owner of Indo-Spirits. This partnership formation was directed by Nair on an assurance of getting the wholesale business of Pernod Richard for Indo-Spirits.
The “South Group” allegedly controlled stake in Indo-Spirits through false representation, concealment and proxies, the ED has said.
Meanwhile, a petition filed by Mahendru seeking bail would come up for hearing on Tuesday while similar petitions filed by Abhishek and Nair would come up for hearing on 4 January, and that of Sarath Chandra Reddy and Benoy on 7 and 9 January, respectively.
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