Delhi Excise Policy scam: Manish Sisodia's judicial custody extended until April 5

Trouble continued for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia as the Delhi court extended his judicial custody for 14 days on Wednesday. 

Sisodia, who was arrested in the money laundering case related to the framing and implementation of the excise policy will be in judicial custody until April 5 and will be lodged in Tihar jail. The former Deputy CM of Delhi was produced in the Rouse Avenue Court after his remand period ended today (March 22).

#LIVE | Delhi Excise Policy Case: Rouse Avenue Court sent Manish Sisodia to Judicial Custody till April 5, 2023.#ManishSisodia #Delhi #RouseAvenueCourt #FormerDelhiDYCM #DelhiExcisePolicy #DelhiLiquorScam https://t.co/ge3J2OVybC pic.twitter.com/XHCOG5nvRZ

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Notably, the former Delhi Deputy CM was arrested on February 26 for alleged non-cooperation in the investigation and for being evasive on questions from investigators. On Saturday, a special CBI court extended the custody of Sisodia until March 6.

"The investigation conducted in this case so far is alleged to have revealed that Manish Sisodia played an active role in the commission of the alleged offences as he being a member of the Group of Ministers as well as the Excise Minister manipulated certain changes in the cabinet note, which was prepared on the draft policy and was put up along with the expert committee report and the comments were taken as opinions received from the general public and stakeholders, with some ulterior motives and designs and to help some stakeholders of the Excise Policy in achieving the illegal objective of cartelization and monopoly in the sale of liquor in Delhi," Special Judge MK Nagpal noted in his February 27 order. 

In the FIR, the CBI booked him under IPC sections 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 477A (falsification of accounts) and provisions of the Prevention Of Corruption Act including Section 7 (taking undue advantage to influence a public servant by corrupt or illegal means or by the exercise of personal influence).

Along with Sisodia, the CBI had also named Arva Gopi Krishna, then commissioner (excise); Anand Tiwari, then deputy commissioner (excise); Pankaj Bhatnagar, assistant commissioner (excise); Vijay Nair, former CEO, Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company; Manoj Rai, ex-employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhal, director, Brindco Sales Pvt. Ltd; Sameer Mahendru, managing director, Indospirit Group, as accused in the FIR.

It is pertinent to mention that earlier this year, the ED and CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.