Latest news with #DelhiExcisePolicy
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Court grants permission to K Kavitha to travel US for admission of her son
New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): The Rouse Avenue court on Monday permitted Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha to travel to the United States of America for admission of her younger son in a University in California. Kavitha is an accused in the Delhi Excise Policy case and was granted bail by the Supreme Court. Special CBI Judge Dig Vinay Singh allowed pleas of K Kavitha seeking permission to travel abroad and release of her passport. 'The right to travel abroad has been considered to be an important facet of Right to Life and Liberty guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution of India, and there is no reason as to why the applicant should be deprived of that right, having considered all the facts and circumstances, including the fact of the applicant being on bail in both the matters,' Special judge observed in the order. Kavitha moved an application through advocate P Mohit Rao and sought permission to travel to Los Angeles, California, United States of America, from Hyderabad between August 16, 2025, and September 2, 2025, to secure admission of her younger son in a University there. While allowing the pleas, the court said, 'Admittedly, the applicant is on bail in both matters and therefore it cannot be claimed that the applicant is a flight risk. She is a former Member of Parliament, also, and she has roots in society; therefore, there is no force that the applicant may flee from justice.' 'Regarding the apprehension of the Prosecuting Agencies as to the availability of the accused and the progress of the trial, adequate directions can be passed while allowing the applications,' the court said in the order passed on July 14. CBI and ED opposed the pleas and expressed apprehension that permitting her may frustrate and delay the trial, and the applicant may tamper with the evidence. Additionally, ED also claimed that the offence involved is grave, being a serious economicoffence. The court noted the fact that she had earlier been granted permission to travel abroad by this Court vide order dated May 03, 2025. It is nobody's case that during the said travel period or otherwise, she misused the liberty or conducted anything which may prejudice the trial. K Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15, 2024 and was subsequently arrested by CBI on April 11, 2024, in the Delhi Excise policy case. She was granted bail by the Supreme Court on August 27, 2024. As per the condition of bail, her passport has been deposited with the Court. (ANI)
India Gazette
27-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Delhi govt approves continuation of existing liquor policy for FY 2025-26
ANI 28 Jun 2025, 01:43 GMT+10 New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): The Delhi Government has approved the continuation of the existing excise duty-based licensing regime for liquor for the year 2025-26. The renewed policy will be in effect from July 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, said an official statement. An order issued by the Excise Department of the Delhi government states that existing licenses will be renewed without any changes to the existing framework. Renewal fees will vary depending on how promptly applications are filed. No extra fee will be charged for renewal applications submitted within 30 days. Applications delayed up to 60 days will attract a 25% additional renewal fee, it said. Delays exceeding 60 days will incur a 100 per cent additional fee, it added. Earlier, Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bhardwaj had challenged Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to clarify her stance on the privatisation of liquor shops under the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) upcoming excise policy. The challenge came in response to Gupta's sharp criticism of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in Ludhiana, where she accused him of colluding with the 'builder mafia' and failing to curb spurious liquor deaths in Punjab. Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj said, 'I have a direct question for her (CM Rekha Gupta). BJP objected to the Delhi Excise Policy and claimed that liquor shops had been privatised. Later, the policy was scrapped, and the shops were returned to government ownership. Rekha Gupta should clarify if she will privatize liquor shops under the new Excise Policy. This will reveal who is in collusion with the liquor mafia. She should answer this.' (ANI)
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Delhi govt discusses new excise policy as current regime ends
New Delhi: With the term of the existing excise policy coming to an end, chief minister Rekha Gupta held a meeting with lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Tuesday to deliberate upon the finer points of the new policy, which is likely to be rolled out on July 1. While the non-availability of popular liquor brands at stores is a major concern, sources said the political dispensation was not keen on lifting the ban on companies that were blacklisted following complaints of irregularities during the implementation of the now-withdrawn excise policy and their alleged involvement in a "liquor scam". Sources said that several important issues, such as brand pushing, non-availability of popular liquor brands, poor customer experience, and the concerns of the industry were discussed at the meeting. They added that the draft of the new excise policy, prepared by a committee headed by chief secretary Dharmendra, came up for discussion. After making the changes suggested during the meeting, it will soon be placed before the cabinet for approval before it is notified. The non-availability of popular brands makes a large number of Delhi residents travel to neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to buy their stock, causing a loss to the govt exchequer. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Following the allegations of irregularities in its formation and implementation, the previous AAP govt withdrew the Delhi Excise Policy, 2021, within nine months of its rollout in Nov 2021, and reintroduced the old regime, handing over the retail business to four govt corporations. The policy was rolled out on Sept 1, 2022, and has been extended several times since then. It was last extended in March for three months till June 30. While brand pushing by retail vends was one of the reasons for customers not finding their choice of liquor, some of the popular variants were not available due to the blacklisting of their parent companies under investigation by federal agencies for irregularities when the now-withdrawn excise policy was in place. To improve the customer experience, sources said the excise department may grant licences to private entities to open bigger retail shops. The govt may also increase the retail margin on certain variants to improve brand availability. "Govt will ensure the availability of quality liquor to the citizens of the capital, and to make the sale and distribution system transparent, modern and accountable," said a senior Delhi govt official. "The govt is committed to ensuring that no aspect of the policy negatively affects sensitive sections of society and that the safety, health, and peace of vulnerable communities are not compromised in any way," the official added. A high-level committee, chaired by the chief secretary, was entrusted to formulate the policy. Officials said the committee reviewed the policies of several states to adopt best practices that prioritised "effective liquor distribution and social protection." Scientific testing of liquor quality, digitisation of the sales system and strict action against illegal sales will be some of the features, an official said.
India Gazette
15-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Ludhiana bypoll:
Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], June 15 (ANI): Days ahead of Ludhiana West bypolls, BJP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying 'those who cheated and looted Delhi are today looting Punjab.' CM Gupta was campaigning for the BJP candidate, Jiwan Gupta, for the Ludhiana West bye-election scheduled for June 19. AAP has fielded sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora from the seat, which fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. The counting is on June 23. Gupta stated, 'Those who cheated and looted Delhi are today looting Punjab. We will not let this happen. The people of Delhi have sent me to Ludhiana. I have come here to tell the people about all their (AAP) acts, all their stories of corruption.' Her remarks targeted AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, whom she earlier accused of causing spurious liquor deaths in Punjab and burdening the border state with a 'Rs 4 lakh crore debt.' Speaking to ANI, she also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring Punjab's security through Operation Sindoor, while slamming the Congress for lacking patriotism. Gupta said, 'These (Congress) people, they neither love the country nor the soil of the country, the Army or the people of the country. Today, Punjab is safe only and only because of PM Narendra Modi.' Earlier in a poll rally, she criticised Kejriwal for colluding with the 'builder mafia' and not having a single 'Punjabi or Sikh minister' in 10 years of AAP government in Delhi. 'There was not a single Punjabi or Sikh minister in 10 years of your tenure in the Delhi government,' she said, and further alleged that AAP's Punjab government is controlled by non-locals like Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain. Meanwhile, AAP's Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj on Sunday asked Gupta to clarify if the BJP's new excise policy will privatise liquor shops or not? Bhardwaj, speaking to ANI, said, 'I have a direct question for her (CM Rekha Gupta). BJP objected to the Delhi Excise Policy and claimed that liquor shops had been privatised. Later, the policy was scrapped, and the shops became government-owned again. Rekha Gupta should clarify if she will privatise liquor shops under the new Excise Policy. This will reveal who is in collusion with the liquor mafia. She should answer this.' (ANI)
India Gazette
15-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj challenges Delhi CM Rekha Gupta on liquor shop privatization
New Delhi [India], June 15 (ANI): Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bhardwaj on Sunday challenged Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to clarify her stance on the privatization of liquor shops under the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) upcoming excise policy. The challenge came in response to Gupta's sharp criticism of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in Ludhiana, where she accused him of colluding with the 'builder mafia' and failing to curb spurious liquor deaths in Punjab. Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj said, 'I have a direct question for her (CM Rekha Gupta). BJP objected to the Delhi Excise Policy and claimed that liquor shops had been privatized. Later, the policy was scrapped, and the shops became government-owned again. Rekha Gupta should clarify if she will privatize liquor shops under the new Excise Policy. This will reveal who is in collusion with the liquor mafia. She should answer this.' Earlier in the day, CM Gupta launched a scathing attack on Kejriwal during a public meeting in Ludhiana, Punjab, where she was campaigning for BJP candidate Jiwan Gupta in the Ludhiana West by-election scheduled for June 19. AAP has fielded sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as its candidate for the same seat. Addressing a gathering, Gupta said, 'People are dying from spurious liquor, but what are you (Arvind Kejriwal) doing? You are grabbing the land of poor farmers in connivance with the builder mafia. The people of Delhi, who had given you so much support, got a little angry with you, and you came and sat in Punjab... Arvind Kejriwal has hollowed out the state government... Today, you have buried it under a debt of 4 lakh crores due to your wrong policies.' Gupta also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Operation Sindoor's success and criticised Kejriwal's silence on the operation. She stated, 'Every person in the country was happy with Operation Sindoor... None of the drones (of Pakistan) crossed the Punjab border, which happened under PM Narendra Modi's guidance. But you did not utter a word in its praise... There was not a single Punjabi or Sikh minister in 10 years of your tenure in the Delhi government. The entire Punjab government runs under the command of Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Bibhav Kumar, and Raghav Chadha. What do they have to do with Punjab?' Earlier, Gupta received a warm welcome from Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leaders at Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district. (ANI)
