Manish Sisodia’s CBI remand extended: What was argued in court today
,
Sisodia told the Delhi court that he has been repeatedly interrogated for eight to 10 hours so far, which amounts to “mental torture”. The court then asked the CBI not to ask Sisodia repeated questions and to conduct regular medical tests on him.
Here’s what was discussed in court today, and what Sisodia is in custody for.
What happened in court today?
Sisodia was produced before special judge MK Nagpal at the Rouse Avenue district court after his five-day CBI custody expired.
CBI special public prosecutor Pankaj Gupta sought three more days of custody, arguing that the probe agency has to confront Sisodia along with other accused in the case and establish a money trail. The CBI alleged that Sisodia was “non-cooperative, grossly misleading and not disclosing true facts.”
“The accused needs to be confronted with two excise officials. He also needs to be confronted with the case diary. The money trail has to be traced. He has been confronted by some officers. Gupta told the court that from important files Some documents are also missing.
Senior advocate Dayankrishnan, appearing for Sisodia, said remand could not be granted unless “he confesses”. “What’s the difference between Day 1? [of custody] And today? Non-cooperation cannot be a ground for remand. We will wait till he admits that there is no basis for remand.
Krishnan also said that the police remand order was an exception and not a rule, and asked: “What is the compelling reason?”
The court, however, in line with live law, said that the CBI’s position is that everything cannot be written in the application, but “they have written in the case diary”. It also said that Sisodia was free to challenge the previous remand order in the High Court, which he did not do.
After the court remanded Sisodia till Monday, the judge asked him how he was.
Sisodia addressed the court for the first time after his arrest and said, “Every day from 8 am they keep asking the same question… It is a mental torture. They have nothing in documents, only statements.
How has AAP reacted?
Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday: “Rs 8 crore cash seized after raid on BJP MLA’s son in Karnataka. But they arrested Manish Sisodia, when in fact they raided his house and bank lockers and found nothing. This is a great injustice.”
8 Crore cash seized after raid on BJP MLA’s son in Karnataka
But they arrested Manish Sisodia, when in fact they raided his house and bank lockers and found nothing.
There is great injustice!
– cm @ArvindKejriwal #KarnatakaWantsKejriwal pic.twitter.com/rUETmonlT0
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 4, 2023
Why was Manish Sisodia arrested?
Sisodia was arrested about eight hours later on February 26. A CBI inquiry into alleged irregularities in the now-defunct Delhi Excise Policy. Sisodia was questioned about various aspects of the excise policy, his alleged association with the accused mentioned in the FIR and details of exchange of messages on various phones.
CBI officials said the arrest was made after the deputy CM did not cooperate with the investigation and avoided explanations sought by them.
The chain of events leading to Sisodia’s arrest by the CBI began in July 2022, when Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar submitted a report to Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena, accusing Sisodia of They are giving illegal benefits to liquor licensees in exchange for “kickbacks” and “kickbacks”. Commission”, which was allegedly used by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Punjab Assembly elections in February that year.
The CBI has named 15 people in its FIR registered in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022, with Sisodia at the top. Citing allegations in a memorandum issued by the LG’s office, the FIR said that Sisodia, the then Delhi Excise Commissioner Arava Gopikrishna, and two other senior officers of the Excise Department had “drafted the excise policy for the year 2021”. was instrumental in taking recommendations and decisions regarding
