Liquor Policy Case: Delhi Court Extends Manish Sisodia's ED Custody By 5 More Days
The central agency said Manish Sisodia destroyed his phone and needs to be confronted again. Sisodia's lawyer opposed the ED's plea for an extension of remand.
Delhi Liquor Police Case: Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Friday extended former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia's ED remand by five more days in a money laundering case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the AAP-led Delhi government.
The Court 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, news agency ANI reported.
The central agency, while seeking a seven-day remand extension, said that Sisodia destroyed his phone and needs to be confronted again. Sisodia's lawyer opposed the ED's plea for an extension of remand, saying there was no word from the agency on the proceeds of the crime, as per news agency PTI.
Voluminous data from Manish Sisodia's emails and mobile phone were being forensically analysed, the central agency told the court, PTI reported. As per ANI, it said that various crucial details are being revealed during the custody.
According to other inputs, the ED mentioned that Manish Sisodia changed his mobile phone on July 22 as soon as a complaint was received on the excise policy case. The agency said it couldn't tell what he did with that phone.
The document dated Mar 2021 found from Sisodia's computer had a 5% commission mentioned which was increased to 12% in September 2022. The ED claims that this was done at the behest of South Lobby.
Meanwhile, Sisodia's lawyer said the same arguments have been made by the CBI and the ED is not putting forth anything new. His counsel claimed that Sisodia was questioned for only 12-13 hours in the last seven days.
On the other hand, the ED said it interrogated the former Delhi minister for five to six hours every day, including six hours of questioning yesterday, which could be corroborated by CCTV footage.
Manish Sisodia is currently under ED custody in connection with the case pertaining to the same excise policy. He was arrested by ED during his judicial custody in Tihar Jail, where he is lodged. Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in the liquor policy case on February 26 and was sent to 14-day judicial custody on March 6. He was arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).
Delhi's Rouse Avenue court sent him to judicial custody till March 20. 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.
ED has also summoned Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha in the same case. Kavitha however skipped the questioning in connection with the money laundering case related to the Delhi Excise Policy case.
On Thursday, K. Kavitha skipped the second round of ED questions in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case. Now, the ED has sent her a fresh summon to join the investigation on March 20.
Kavitha was last questioned by the probe agency on March 11 and was summoned by the agency for the second time today, but she had approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing saying as per norms a woman cannot be summoned for questioning before ED in the office and her questioning should take place at her residence.
The advocate for Kavitha said that a woman is now being summoned by ED for questioning and that it is "completely against the law".
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