Delhi Court Asks Manish Sisodia To Appear Virtually For Now After 'Manhandling' Report During Last Physical Appearance
Delhi Court said that till the decision on a plea filed by the Delhi Police seeking Sisodia’s appearance in court through video conferencing is not taken, he will appear through video conferencing.
A Delhi court has ruled that former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will appear in court through video conferencing until a final decision is made regarding the Delhi Police's plea seeking his physical presence. The next hearing for the case is scheduled for July 19. The Delhi Police filed an application in the Rouse Avenue Court, requesting permission to produce Manish Sisodia only through video conferencing following allegations of manhandling.
Delhi Excise Policy Case | Delhi Police moves an application in Rouse Avenue Court stating that seeking court permission to produce Manish Sisodia should now be produced only via Video-conferencing, after allegations of manhandling.
— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2023
Money Laundering Allegations
The ED recently filed a chargesheet in the money laundering case, alleging that the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 was implemented by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership, specifically Manish Sisodia, to generate and channel illegal funds for themselves. The agency also accused Sisodia of receiving "bribes" from one of the accused individuals and labelled them as "proceeds of crime" under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to the ED's prosecution complaint, Amit Arora paid Rs 2.2 crore to Manish Sisodia through Dinesh Arora to secure policy changes in his favour within the GoM report/excise policy 2021-22. The ED claims that this payment constitutes a bribe and is considered proceeds of crime under the PMLA. Amit Arora is the promoter of liquor companies Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd, Popular Spirits, and KSJM Spirits LLP, while Dinesh Arora is alleged to be a close associate of Sisodia.
A Delhi court acknowledged this fifth chargesheet, which names Sisodia as an accused, and issued a production warrant against him for June 1, citing sufficient prima facie evidence. Sisodia was previously arrested by the ED on March 9 from Tihar Jail, where he was held in connection with the same case.
The chargesheet further alleges that Sisodia "acquired the proceeds of crime (Rs 2.2 crore) and is involved in its concealment." The ED asserts that the excise policy was designed to provide undue benefits to specific private entities and included deliberate loopholes to facilitate illegal activities.
The ED has also charged Sisodia with being involved in the "destruction of digital evidence to impede the investigation and erase evidence." The agency claims that the AAP leader "used/changed/destroyed 14 mobile phones/IMEIs during the period of the scam, including the period after the registration of the predicate
Businessman Granted Approver Status in ED Case
In a separate development, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi has granted businessman Sarath P Reddy the status of an approver in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case related to an alleged excise policy violation. The court also offered Reddy a pardon in the case.
Typing Error
During the hearing, the judge acknowledged a typographical error in the ED's charge sheet, where the name "Sanjay Singh" was mistakenly mentioned instead of "Rahul Singh." The court clarified that it was a typing mistake and confirmed that Sanjay Singh's name is not included in the list of accused individuals, as stated by the ED's lawyer.
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