Excise Policy: ED to supply soft copies of docs for inspection issue

The Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday directed the ED to provide the soft copies of un-relied documents to the counsel of accused persons.

The court has passed the direction in order to resolve the issue pertaining to the inspection of un-relied documents filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi Excise policy case. The inspection was pending since long.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja directed that the ED shall provide the copies of documents by the next date of hearing. The court said that it is the only way out.

The court passed the direction after considering the submissions of the counsel for accused who submitted thag the place provided for inspection for documents is not appropriate. They also visited the same at the Enforcement Directorate.

The court said that an unnecessary ruckus occured in the court yesterday. This was not expected from the counsel. The court also said that some of counsels said that they need 200 days for inspection, that doesn't make any sense.

" I have been on the bench for last 24 years, I never saw the way, counsel behaved yesterday. Refrain from such behaviour in future," Special judge said.

The court has listed the matter for hearing on November 4. The Court has passed the direction in view of the objection raised by the counsel for the accused persons regarding the place provided by the ED for inspection of documents.

The court had directed the counsel to visit the palace in the ED office and informed the court about the facility there.

The Counsel for AAP MP Sanjay, Singh, former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Arun Pillai sought around 200 days time for inspection of un-relied documents filed alongwith charge sheet and supplementary charge sheets by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi Excise policy Money laundering case.

On Tuesday, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja had pulled up the counsels for a number of accused persons for not telling the more time they required for inspection of documents.

She had expressed strong displeasure on the conduct of lawyers of not telling the time despite asking many times, " You tell me how much time you required. Should I record that you are not telling the time you required for inspection."

Thereafter the counsel started to tell the time they required for inspection. Advocate Dr. Farrukh Khan had said that he requires 200 to 220 days for inspection subject to the volume of data and cooperation from the ED.

Meanwhile, ED's SPP Navin Matta informed the court that space for inspection of documents in ready and air conditioners will be installed today. He had shown a video for the preparedness to the court.

On this counsels objected and said they are being made to sit and inspect the documents in porta cabin for hours. They also said that the same is unhygienic, unsafe and inhabitable. They had also said that there is a monkey menace in the area.

After lengthy submissions, the court on Tuesday had asked the counsels for accused persons to visit the room for inspection of documents at ED headquarters. They are also permitted to carry their phones inside and to make vidoe to show the condition of the place for inspection.

The counsels had raised their objections regarding the unhygienic, inhabitable and unsafe conditions due to monkey menace. Thereafter the court asked the counsels to visit the room today.

Earlier, they were doing inspections in the conference room. On September 30, the court had asked the SPP Matta to visit the headquarters and to sort it out. The court had taken a serious view on the submission that advocates are made to sit in a make shift arrangement and to inspect the documents at office of ED.

The advocates had also said that monkeys are always hovering around. The special public prosecutor had submitted that he would personally visit the office and sort it out.