Delhi Excise Scam: Court Sends Dy CM Manish Sisodia To 5-Day CBI Custody, AAP Stages Protests. Key Points

Manish Sisodia Arrest: The court has ordered that Sisodia will be held by the CBI until March 4 for questioning.

New Delhi: A special court in the Excise policy scam case sentenced Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to five days in custody of the CBI on Monday, a day after his arrest, which sparked protests by AAP workers in several states and escalated the AAP-BJP slugfest. The court has ordered that Sisodia will be held by the CBI until March 4 for questioning. 

Here Are The Key Highlights:-

- In the midst of tight security, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) brought Sisodia before a special CBI court on Rouse Avenue and requested his five-day custody, claiming that this was necessary for the effective interrogation of the AAP leader in the case.

- The defense team for Sisodia asked whether the arrest was made with an "ulterior motive" and stated that the case is an assault on both the individual and the institution.

- They claimed that the Delhi lieutenant governor had approved the changes to the excise policy and that the central probe agency was going after the elected government, arguing that there was no evidence against Sisodia and opposing the CBI's request for his remand.

- After hearing arguments from both sides during the hearing, which lasted for more than an hour, special judge M K Nagpal granted the CBI's request for Sisodia to be interrogated in a custodial setting. He reserved the order for some time.

- Sisodia was detained by the CBI on Sunday evening after being questioned for nearly eight hours about various aspects of the excise policy that was scrapped for 2021-2022. The investigation agency claims that the policy had irregularities both in its formulation and implementation, allegedly intended to benefit people who have ties to the AAP.

- "I am the finance minister. I've to present the budget.... what changed yesterday that the finance minister was to be placed under custody? Was he not available for next days? Or was this arrest done for ulterior motive? This case is an assault on an individual as well as the institution. Remand will send a message, this is a fit case for declining remand," Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan told the court. He argued that the decision cannot be attributed to Sisodia or questioned because he acted as a member of the Delhi government.

- "I can't do anything. It has to be approved by appropriate authority." Krishnan argued that the CBI claims that Sisodia changed his cell phones, but that is not a crime. The CBI stated that Sisodia has claimed that he had no role in the case, but the investigation revealed that he personally made decisions.

- The counsel asserted that there was no possibility of conspiracy because the policy was implemented after consulting with even the Delhi lieutenant governor.

- "I have tried to keep everything open." Leaders and employees of the AAP took to the streets in Delhi, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Kolkata, Mumbai, Srinagar, Jammu, Panaji, Patna, and a few other cities to protest the Centre's use of its agencies to target political opponents.

- The police in Chandigarh detained a number of party leaders, including Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar.