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‘Manish Sisodia destroyed phone,’ argues ED as court extends custody of AAP leader by 5 days

The former Delhi deputy chief minister’s woes are not likely to end soon, since he now also faces charges for ‘snooping’ other than financial impropriety in the liquor scam.

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New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish destroyed his phone and needs to be confronted again, a Delhi court heard Friday, subsequently extending the politician’s custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by five more days.

The former Delhi deputy chief minister has been in ED custody ever since his arrest by the agency on 10 March in the liquor scam case. At the time of his arrest, Sisodia was in Tihar Jail, having been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the same case on 26 February.

The CBI is probing irregularities in the allegedly faulty implementation of the 2021-22 Delhi Excise Policy (liquor policy) when Sisodia also held the excise portfolio.

The ED is probing the money trail in the alleged scam.

The CBI first arrested Sisodia on 26 February, got his remand for seven days, after which the politician was sent to Tihar Jail.

The ED re-arrested Sisodia on 10 March and had his custody till Friday, but asked for more time to interrogate him.

On Friday, Sisodia’s lawyers resisted the ED’s plea for remand extension, saying there was no word from the agency on the proceeds of crime.

But the ED told the court that “voluminous data from Sisodia’s email and mobile phone was being forensically analysed”.

Sisodia’s bail was supposed to come up for hearing on 21 March in the CBI case.

The CBI arrested the AAP leader over allegations that the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 was framed and implemented to benefit a lobby like the “South Group”, among whom is Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislator K. Kavitha.

Both the CBI and ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were given to licence holders. It is alleged that the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted the “gains” to accused officials and made false entries in their books.

It is further alleged that the excise department had decided to refund the earnest money deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer by flouting rules.

The Arvind Kejriwal government, which passed the policy in the middle of the Covid pandemic, has countered these allegations saying the excise policy was formulated to generate optimum revenue, eradicate the sale of spurious liquor and to avoid non-payment of duty on liquor.

The policy was, however, scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena ordered the CBI to take a look.

Meanwhile, the CBI slapped a fresh case on the jailed minister this Tuesday — related to alleged misuse of official position and financial impropriety in the government’s Feedback Unit (FBU), which was also used for “political snooping”, they said.

After the case was registered, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “The PM’s plan is to slap several false cases against Manish and keep him in custody for a long period. Sad for the country!”


Also read: Delhi excise policy: Court reserves verdict on ED plea seeking extension of Sisodia’s custody by 7 days


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