The Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is ending today. The ED will again produce Sisodia in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court this afternoon, where it may seek the remand of the AAP leader for a few more days. There has been heavy deployment of security forces inside and outside the ‘Rouse Avenue’ court complex.
The Rouse Avenue Court had on March 10 sent 51-year-old Sisodia to ED custody till March 17. The ED had sought Sisodia’s custody to unearth the conspiracy through which he is alleged to have amassed Rs 290 crore as ‘proceeds of crime’. The ED had arrested Sisodia from Tihar Jail No. 51 on March 9 in a money laundering case related to Delhi’s excise policy.
Special Judge M.K. Nagpal allowed senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sisodia’s custodial interrogation for 7 days to investigate money laundering. The ED had sought 10-day custody of Sisodia.
In the previous hearing, ED’s counsel Zoheb Hussain had alleged that Sisodia made false statements about the “scam” and the agency wanted to find out the modus operandi of the accused and confront them with other accused. The ED also claimed that Sisodia destroyed his phone, which is a crucial piece of evidence in the probe.
Sisodia conspired to frame a flawed excise policy
The ED alleges that Sisodia conspired with others to formulate a faulty excise policy to generate bribery and ‘proceeds of crime’ to the tune of over Rs 290 crore.
The ED claimed that Rs 100 crore was received as ‘kickback’ from the accused company ‘South Group’ in the case. The ED also claimed that the Indospirits company made a profit of Rs 192.8 crore, which is “proceeds of crime” generated through alleged irregularities committed in the Excise Policy 2021-22. The agency also claimed that Sisodia made “false” statements during his interrogation in Tihar Jail on March 7 and March 9.
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