Delhi excise policy case: HC seeks ED’s response on businessman’s bail plea

The Delhi high court on Monday sought the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) response on Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramachandran Pillai’s plea seeking interim bail for eight weeks on medical grounds in connection with the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

A vacation bench of justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma has scheduled the matter for hearing on June 10.

Pillai, who was arrested by the ED in March last year, filed the petition after the Supreme Court asked him to approach the high court for interim bail.

In his plea, filed through advocates Nitesh Rana and Deepak Nagar, Pillai said that he has been suffering from a lower back ache radiating down to the limbs for the last eight years, which has aggravated during his incarceration.

He further said that the pain has been recurring despite multiple courses of medications, which has led to him taking pain killers for a long period, leading to multiple side effects.

In the petition before the HC, Pillai said that the doctors at the Pratheeksha Ayurvedic Clinic in Kerala have opined that he needs to be admitted for a 21-day ‘Panchakarma Therapy’, with a further bed rest of 21 days.

It added that even the doctors at Max Hospital have suggested him to undertake epidural procedure, saying that his current medical line of treatment has not been effective.

“Despite the multiple courses of medications prescribed, the pain has been recurring and has led to the applicant having pain killers for a long period which causes multiple side effects on patients. The doctor at Max Hospital has set out that the current medical line of the treatment has not been effective for the applicant and since the applicant has been on prolonged courses of pain killers, has recommended for an epidural procedure to be undertaken,” the plea read.

Referring to the health concerns, Pillai sought interim bail saying that he faces the risk of permanent damage to his back due to improper treatment.

Pillai was named as an accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its chargesheet filed in November 2022. He was arrested by the ED in the money laundering case in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam in March last year.

The ED, which built its case from the CBI, has accused Pillai of being a member of the ‘South Group’ consisting of a group of leaders from southern India that allegedly sent kickbacks worth ₹100 crore to AAP leaders.

According to ED, Pillai is a frontman of South-based liquor manufacturing group Indospirits. He was given a 32.5% share of the company.