SC grants liquor scam accused bail, cites contradictions in allegations
The Supreme Court, on Friday, granted bail to Regional General Manager of Pernod Ricard India Benoy Babu, who was arrested in a corruption case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case. The bench, comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, acknowledged that Babu had been in prison for 13 months sans trial. "You can't keep people behind bars, before a trial, for long (periods of time). This is not proper," Justice Khanna remarked.
Why does this story matter?
The Delhi government introduced a revised liquor excise policy on November 17, 2021, but it was nixed less than a year later due to widespread corruption allegations. Central investigation agencies claimed that wholesalers' profit margins were arbitrarily increased from five to 12%. They also alleged that the policy led to cartelization and favored those ineligible for liquor licenses for financial gain. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government denied the allegations, adding that the policy would have increased revenue.
Contradictions between CBI and ED allegations
Justice Khanna also highlighted inconsistencies between the allegations made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) with regard to Babu. Moreover, senior advocate Harish Salve argued that Babu was merely a "junior employee" of the company, having no role to play in the policy-making process. Notably, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and several others have been arrested with regard to the case.
Babu did not influence Delhi liquor policy: Salve
Salve highlighted that, as per the ED's case, Babu met the alleged associate of Delhi deputy CM Sisodia Vijay Nair on March 27, 2021, for the first time. However, the excise policy was already announced five days ago—on March 22—and therefore, the claim that Babu influenced the policy was baseless. The senior advocate also underscored that liquor manufacturers, including Pernod Ricard, were not batting for the new policy, LiveLaw reported.
What do we know about Babu
Babu is the regional manager of French liquor manufacturing giant Pernod Ricard. He was arrested in a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy scam. During the hearing on Friday, the SC noted that despite thirteen months of being in prison, neither has there been any case registered against him nor have any charges been framed. It is pertinent to note that Babu was earlier on interim bail for four and a half months on medical grounds.
