Liquor Policy Case: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will on Sunday appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning in connection with the Liquor Policy Case, a week after he was summoned by the agency.
Here are the top ten points on the details of the case:
1. On February 18, Manish Sisodia tweeted and said that he has been called for questioning yet again, and he would continue cooperating in the investigation. "CBI has called again tomorrow. They have used the full power of CBI, ED against me, raided my house, searched bank locker, but nothing was found against me," he said. He added, "I have worked to provide good education of Delhi’s children and they want to stop it." Sisodia added that nothing was found against him during searches.
2. Reacting to the development, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said, "No scam took place in the Delhi liquor policy case. This is a conspiracy against Manish Sisodia."
3. On Sunday, 19th Feb, Sisodia went to the CBI office and urged the agency to postpone his questioning as he was busy preparing Budget for the national capital. Talking to ANI, Sisodia said, "I've always cooperated with CBI, but this is a crucial time for Delhi as we've to prepare the budget and sent it to the Central Government by the end of February. I knew they would arrest me so I've asked CBI to give me time to finalise the budget."
4. He said that he will appear before the agency by the end of February, whenever CBI summons him. "I have requested the CBI to allow me to come after the last week of February and answer all their questions."
5. The BJP mocked Manish Sisodia for urging the CBI to defer his questioning till the last week of February. "Budget is just an excuse, the real aim is to run away from questions Sisodia ji. Till yesterday they used to say that there was no scam, today the body language seemed nervous. Don't be afraid of facing tough questions," Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana remarked in a video.
6. CBI is probing the now-withdrawn Delhi liquor policy case. The federal agency alleged that the policy granted licences to liquor traders who favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a CBI investigation into Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 in November last year.
7. Amid allegations of corruption and irregularities in the drafting and implementation of the policy, the Delhi government reverted to the old liquor policy, blaming LG for the loss of revenue worth crores of rupees.
8. Sisodia, who also held the charge of the Excise department, was earlier questioned on October 17 last year and his home and bank lockers were also searched in connection with the case.
9. The agency said that it is now focused on the alleged influence of a "South Lobby" of businessmen and politicians in formulating and implementing Delhi liquor policy to swing it in their favour using middlemen, liquor traders, and public servants.
10. Arrested businessmen Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally are among the seven accused in the charge sheet filed on November 25 last year.