New Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Friday claimed that central probe agencies only have "malicious and fabricated stories" against former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and have been asking him the same questions related to their ongoing probe into the liquor scam. Meanwhile, Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court earlier on Friday extended Sisodia's Enforcement Directorate custody by five more days in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD. The court also allowed Manish Sisodia to sign cheques for his family's expenses and his wife's medical expenses of Rs 40,000 and Rs 45,000 respectively.


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The AAP leader is facing a probe by the CBI and the ED in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He was first arrested by CBI in the same case on February 26. Addressing a press conference, Chadha claimed the CBI and the ED don't have any evidence against Sisodia and he is behind bars as a result of BJP's "politics of revenge."


"The BJP is scared of AAP and has started a politics of revenge. CBI and ED don't have any evidence against Manish Sisodia. They only have concocted stories against him. When the court said that CBI took Sisodia on remand, interrogated him and did not find anything against him, they got ED to frame more false cases against him," Chadha alleged.


"The central agencies only have malicious and fabricated stories against him. The CBI and the ED asked the same questions to Sisodia during his interrogation and the purpose of doing this was to keep Sisodia behind the bars," he alleged.


In another press conference, AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged that Sisodia has been treated even "worse than a terrorist." Chadha said that the Enforcement Directorate officers have questioned Sisodia for only 15 hours during his 7-day remand.


The ED has told Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court that crucial information had come up during Sisodia's custody and he had to be confronted with the other accused persons. It said data from his email and mobile phone is also being forensically analysed.


Sanjay Singh said that the extension of ED custody for Manish Sisodia has "no context." "BJP's dictatorship will not be tolerated and the whole country is watching how the party is misusing the central agencies. A leader who sacrificed his life for the transformation of Delhi's education has been targeted. Even a terrorist is not treated in such a manner," Singh said.


ED, CBI Probe Into Liquor Scam


 


Sisodia has been lodged in Tihar jail in connection with a Central Bureau of Investigation case pertaining to alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.


The ED also made another arrest in the case earlier, as it took Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai into its custody. The probe agency has also questioned Bharatiya Rashtriya Samiti (BRS) MLC and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao`s daughter, K Kavitha in the liquor policy case.


The excise policy was passed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Cabinet in the middle of the deadly Delta Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. The Delhi government`s version is that the policy was formulated to ensure the generation of optimum revenue, eradicate the sale of spurious liquor or non-duty paid liquor in Delhi, besides improving user experience.


The CBI had filed a case against alleged corruption in the 2021-22 excise policy. The excise policy was subsequently withdrawn by the AAP government. Sisodia was among 15 others booked in an FIR filed by the CBI. Excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers, some unknown public servants and private persons were booked in the case.


It was alleged that irregularities were committed including modifications in the Excise Policy and undue favours were extended to the license holders including waiver or reduction in licence fee, an extension of L-1 license without approval etc.


As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19.


This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.