Agencies misleading SC, INDI bloc to pretest at Parliament against it: Opposition

The Aam Aadmi Party has accused central investigative agencies of deceiving the Supreme Court and announced that the opposition INDIA bloc will stage a protest at Parliament on Monday. Speaking at a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh criticized the actions surrounding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's bail in an excise policy case. He alleged, "Despite a trial court granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) intervened at the High Court, securing a stay on the bail. Later, when the Supreme Court appeared poised to grant bail, the central government had him arrested by the CBI."

Singh condemned what he described as a "blatant misuse of investigating agencies," asserting that both the ED and CBI lack evidence against Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia. He pointed out, "There has been no immediate response from the investigative agencies."

Regarding the upcoming protest, Singh stated, The INDIA bloc plans to demonstrate against these agencies at Parliament on Monday. He emphasized frustrations with delays in legal proceedings, stating, "When Manish Sisodia's bail was being heard in the Supreme Court, the SC told the ED that the investigation is going on for one-and-a-half years. How long will you keep a person in jail? There cannot be an endless investigation. Then the ED told the Supreme Court that we will finish the trial in six to eight months. The whole country knows that the ED had said that the entire trial would be over. Six months have passed, Manish Sisodia is still in jail. The ED's charge sheet has not been filed yet. The trial is far from starting," he alleged.

Singh highlighted a meeting among INDIA bloc parties convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, where concerns over the "misuse of investigative agencies" were discussed. He added, "Everyone decided unanimously that on Monday at 10:30 am, all the constituent parties of the INDIA bloc will protest against the misuse of the ED-CBI across the country on the Parliament premises," 

Singh also pointed out instances where investigative actions targeted various political figures, including Arvind Kejriwal, Hemant Soren, Sanjay Raut, Anil Deshmukh, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Tejashwi Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray's party, and members of Mamata Banerjee's family and said, "Apart from Arvind Kejriwal, three leaders in West Bengal, Hemant Soren, Sanjay Raut, Anil Deshmukh and many other leaders were put in jail. The ED-CBI was used against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Tejashwi Yadav. "Continuous raids are being conducted against the party of Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. Action is being taken against the entire family of Tejashwi Yadav and Mamata Banerjee's nephew". He criticized ongoing raids and actions against opposition leaders and their families.

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