Ashish Ranjan
Manish Sisodia sent to ED custody: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi,Manish Sisodia sent to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody until March 17 in the alleged excise policy fraud.
Special Magistrate MK Nagpal of the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court granted ED seven days to question Sisodia. The development follows the AAP leader’s appearance in court earlier today, where a federal agency requested a 10-day detention in order to interrogate him.
During the hearing, the Enforcement Directorate alleged that Sisodia made deceptive statements about the’scam’ and stated that it wished to uncover the perpetrators’ modus operandi and confront the former deputy CM of Delhi with the other defendants.Counsel for the ED even asserted in front of the special court that Sisodia obliterated his phone, a crucial piece of evidence in the investigation.
Referring to meetings between the restaurants association and Sisodia, the ED alleged that relaxations in excise policy, such as lowering the drinking age, were granted to the restaurants.However, the claims made by the federal anti-money laundering investigation agency were contested by an army of Sisodia’s attorneys.
Sisodia’s attorneys, including senior advocates Dayan Krishnan, Mohit Mathur, and Siddharth Aggarwal, stated that the lieutenant governor must have reviewed the excise policy before accepting it.In the meantime, the court has scheduled Sisodia’s parole hearing for March 21. The leader of the AAP was initially detained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the now-dismissed excise policy case. In the same instance, he was arrested by the ED on Thursday.
Also Read | Manish Sisodia Arrested By ED In Excise Policy Case
During today’s hearing, dozens of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters demonstrated in support of Manish Sisodia in front of the courthouse. In contrast, numerous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members demonstrated in the nation’s capital, calling for the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
