Court to decide CBI's plea to make businessman Dinesh Arora approver in Delhi excise policy case on Nov 14

New Delhi: A court here will decide on November 14 whether to allow the CBI to make businessman Dinesh Arora, the 'close aide' of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, an approver in the Delhi excise policy case.

Special Judge M K Nagpal will also hear arguments on Arora's plea to grant him pardon in the matter and allow him to become a witness in the matter.

During the hearing, the accused told the court that he was ready to make true disclosure voluntarily about the case and that he wanted to be an approver in the case.

There is no pressure or threats by the CBI or anyone else, he said in response to the court's query.

Arora's counsel also moved an application for in-camera proceedings, saying it is a sensitive matter and the media should be kept out at this early stage.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not oppose the application for the in-camera proceedings.

The court had earlier granted anticipatory bail to Arora after the probe agency did not oppose the bail plea.

The CBI, in its reply to the anticipatory bail plea, had stated that Arora joined the investigation and disclosed certain facts which were vital for the probe and hence, "the CBI has no objection if the anticipatory bail is granted to the applicant by this court .

In August, the CBI had registered a case in the excise policy scam and issued a look out circular (LOC) against eight people named as accused in the case.

Among the accused public servants are Sisodia, then excise commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, deputy commissioner Anand Tiwari and assistant commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.