New Delhi, (IANS) | A Delhi court on Wednesday sent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to judicial custody till April 5 in an excise policy case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Upon the expiry of Sisodia’s ED custody, which was extended on March 17, he was produced before Rouse Avenue Court’s Special Judge M.K. Nagpal and was remanded to judicial custody till April 5.
Sisodia is already in judicial custody in a corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
However, Sisodia urged the court to allow him to carry some religious and spiritual books during his judicial custody.
After this, the court asked him to file an application in this regard.
Sisodia moved a bail plea in the ED case in the same court on Tuesday and the court listed the matter for further hearing on March 25 while issuing notice to the central agency.
The court had on Monday sent Sisodia to judicial custody till April 3 in the same case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
After CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26, the ED also arrested him on March 9 in the same case.
During the last hearing in the ED case, the ED told the court that important information has come to the fore during Sisodia’s custody and he has to be confronted with the other accused.
The probe agency had informed the court that forensic analysis of huge amount of data from Sisodia’s email and mobile etc. was also being done.
Sisodia’s counsel had opposed the central agency’s remand plea saying there was no whispering on the part of the agency about the proceeds of crime, which is fundamental to the case.
His counsel had further argued that there was no justification for seeking extension of custody and that Sisodia was made face-to-face with only four people during his previous custody of seven days.
The ED had said that they need to ascertain the modus operandi, the entire scam and confront Sisodia along with a few others.
ED lawyer Zoheb Hussain claimed that Sisodia was part of the money laundering nexus, adding that movement of tainted money through hawala channels was also being probed.
Hussain had submitted that the policy was designed to ensure that a few private entities made huge profits and one of the largest cartels was created to operate 30 per cent of the liquor business in Delhi.
Citing meetings held between the restaurant association and Sisodia, the ED had alleged that restaurants were exempted from the excise policy like lowering the legal age of drinking alcohol and other things.
The central agency had argued that Sisodia destroyed evidence. The agency had claimed, within a year, 14 phones have been destroyed and replaced.
The ED’s counsel argued, Sisodia has used phones and SIM cards bought by others, which are not in his name, so that he can use it as a defense later. Even the phone used by him is not in his name.
The ED had alleged that he (Sisodia) has been evasive since the beginning.
There was a conspiracy behind making the excise policy. The ED had argued in the court that the conspiracy was coordinated by Vijay Nair along with others and the excise policy was brought in for extravagant profit margins for the wholesalers.
–IANS
