Aurobindo Pharma's P Sarath Reddy becomes approver in Delhi liquor case

P Sarath Reddy, director of Aurobindo Pharma, has turned approver in the Delhi excise case after a Rouse Avenue court on Thursday accepted the Enforcement Directorate's plea to pardon him, a report by The Hindu Businessline said. ED said that Reddy will voluntarily disclose all the irregularities in making and implementing the liquor policy in Delhi.

According to ED, Reddy was a part of the "South Group" that had allegedly paid Rs 100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was used to fund its Goa elections. He was arrested in November last year and granted bail by the Delhi High Court last month.

The ED is investigating alleged irregularities in implementing the now-scrapped liquor policy of the Delhi government. The money laundering case stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR.

According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to licence holders. The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

Delhi's former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has also been arrested in the case.

On Thursday, Delhi HC asked Sisodia to explain why the state government chose to withdraw the policy when it was claimed to be "so good". Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, while hearing the bail application of co-accused Vijay Nair in a money laundering case arising from the alleged scam, asked the counsel for the AAP leader to "get a definite reply" to his query.

"If the policy is so good, why did you withdraw it? Get a definitive reply for this," said the judge, who was informed that Sisodia, currently lodged in Tihar jail, has once again filed applications for his interim release.