Delhi excise policy scam: Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, whose son Raghava Magunta Reddy is an accused-turned-approver in the Delhi excise policy case, got a Lok Sabha ticket from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which is a BJP ally in Andhra Pradesh. Srinivasulu has got a ticket from Ongole.
Since Magunta’s switch from the YSR Congress Party to the TDP on February 28, both the son and father were seen campaigning for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Indian Express reported. Raghav Magunta Reddy, who was arrested in February 2023, was granted bail in October 2023 after turning approver in the excise policy case.
Srinivasulu is a four-time MP from Ongole. But this time he wanted his son to get the ticket this time. But due to the excise police case, Raghava’s candidature was held back.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, 2024. A local court on Friday remanded Kejriwal in the Enforcement Directorate’s custody till April 1.
Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday gave a short timeline of the case in front of court and named a few people whose statements during interrogation in the case. Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and Raghava Magunta Reddy were mentioned in Kejriwal’s court statement.
The Magunta family owns Balaji Distilleries and two other companies, and has been in the liquor business for over seven decades.
As per news report, Sreenivasulu Reddy was the prominent member of the alleged ‘South Group’, which allegedly paid a kickback of Rs 100 crore to Kejriwal’s party Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The ED has quoted Sreenivasulu Reddy’s statement, recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on 14 July, 2023, in which he allegedly confessed to having explored opportunities for his liquor business in Delhi, for which the agency alleged he paid Rs 25 crore through K. Kavitha.
Sreenivasulu Reddy has allegedly told the ED that he saw that the AAP government was privatising the liquor business in Delhi, and he met the Delhi CM on March 16, 2021, to seek opportunities.
He said in the statement that Kejriwal informed him that K. Kavitha was already in touch with him and had offered to pay Rs 100 crore to the party in exchange for opportunities.
“Following this, K. Kavitha called Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy on 19 March 2021 and asked him to meet her. Next day, Sreenivasulu Reddy went to meet her at her residence in Hyderabad. In that meeting, K. Kavitha told him that Arvind Kejriwal had spoken to her and asked her to give Rs 100 core, and accordingly she asked Sreenivasulu Reddy to arrange Rs 50 crore for the same,” the ED said in its prosecution complaint.
According to the complaint, Kavitha;s associates asked Raghava Magunta to could arrange Rs 30 crore, and finally Rs 25 crore was paid in cash to her aids.
Raghava Reddy allegedly told the ED that he paid Rs 25 crore in cash to Kavitha’s associates according to the “agreement” between himself, his father and K. Kavitha.
In contrast, Arvind Kejriwal negated Sreenivasulu Reddy’s statement in his direct address to the court Thursday and said that the MP had met him seeking help in acquiring land for his family trust in Delhi.