Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that his sources have confirmed that Deputy CM Manish Sisodia will be arrested by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday. Sisodia was called for questioning many times in regards to Delhi’s liquor excise policy case on 19 February.
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While speaking at a media summit, Kejriwal said, “CBI has called Manish Sisodia for questioning. Our sources are saying that he will be arrested on Sunday… It is very sad,” as reported by ANI.
The Delhi Chief Minister further said that the CBI raided Sisodia’s residence and searched his bank lockers, but nothing was found.
“CBI raided Manish Sisodia, searched his bank accounts, raided his house, searched his lockers, raided his office, raided properties in his village but nothing was found,” said the Delhi CM.
Kejriwal said that Sisodia offered hope of a good future to crores of poor children in the country.
Lauding the Deputy Chief Minister for improving the education system in Delhi, Kejriwal said, “Manish Sisodia is the person, who after 75 years of independence has given hope to the poor people of this country that their children can also have a good future. Today in Delhi, the children of the poor are becoming doctors, engineers and lawyers. Manish Sisodia has given a lot of hope to them.”
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He claimed that a conspiracy has been hatched to defame such a person by framing him in a false case.
“If you arrest him and put him in jail in a false case, how will the country make progress? If the king of a country will send to jail those who give education to the children of the poor in that country and will hand over the entire country to two four friends, then how will the country progress?” he added.
Kejriwal also said that he first met Sisodia on December 29, 1999, when he was working in the Income Tax department.
Notably, Sisodia on Monday said that the CBI has called him for questioning on February 26 in connection with the Delhi liquor excise policy case.
Earlier, the CBI had asked Sisodia to appear for questioning on February 19. On last Sunday, Sisodia requested the central agency to defer questioning saying that he is “preparing the budget” at present and can only appear before it towards February-end.
Sisodia said that the Union Home Ministry’s approval of his prosecution in the alleged “Feedback Unit” snooping case was “a sign of a coward” and that more claims would be filed as the Aam Aadmi Party grew. “Making false cases against your rivals is a sign of a weak and cowardly person. As the Aam Aadmi Party grows, many more cases will be filed against us,” Sisodia tweeted in Hindi.
In addition to bringing up the Adani issue, AAP MP Sanjay Singh claimed that the government is “scared” of AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
In August last year, the CBI searched Sisodia’s bank locker in connection with the case. The deputy CM claimed the sleuths did not find any incriminating material in his locker.
Officials informed PTI that Sisodia has not been named as accused in the charge sheet, however, the investigation against him and other suspects is still going on. Arrested businessmen Vijay Nair and Abhishek are among the seven accused named in the chargesheet.
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Recently, the CBI arrested Butchibabu Gorantla, a former Chartered Accountant of K Kavitha, a BRS MLC in Telangana, and a daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
The ED and the CBI had, last year, alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.
The CBI launched a probe in the matter on the basis of a report forwarded by the Delhi chief secretary to L-G Saxena recommending a probe by the central agency.
