Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia brought to Rouse Avenue Court, in New Delhi. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on April 28 denied bail to former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is in judicial custody in a money laundering case pertains to now scrapped excise policy scam since February.
The order on the bail was announced by special judge, M.K. Nagpal. Detailed court order is awaited in the matter.
The same court, had on March 31, dismissed Mr Sisodia’s bail application in the corruption case in the excise policy scam, saying he was “prima facie the architect” in the criminal conspiracy behind alleged payment of advance kickbacks of around ₹90-100 crore meant for him and his colleagues in the Delhi government.
The CBI arrested the former Deputy CM on February 26 in connection with the allegation of irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy. The probe agency has alleged that the excise policy was modified to extend undue favours to licence holders; licence fee was waived or reduced; and L-1 (wholesaler) licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval.
As alleged, the then Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communication and media in-charge Vijay Nair, on behalf of the party leaders, received ₹100 crore as “kickbacks” in advance from a “South Group”, whose prominent entities were Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (or BRS, formerly known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS) MLC K. Kavitha, and Aurobindo Pharma director P. Sarath Chandra Reddy.
Based on the CBI case, the ED is conducting a money laundering probe and has arrested nine persons. Its chargesheet states that a portion of the alleged kickbacks was diverted through “hawala” channels for the AAP’s poll campaign in the 2022 Goa Assembly election.
The court had extended Mr Sisodia’s judicial custody till April 29, in the money laundering case.
Aam Aadmi Party leader’s lawyers pressed for his bail claiming his custody is no longer required for investigation in the case.
