Manish Sisodia produced before Delhi court; ED seeks 10-day custody

Manish Sisodia is already in Tihar jail after he was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a CBI court on March 6.

The Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to produce arrested deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia before it on Friday in the Delhi excise policy case. The court's direction comes after the central probe agency moved an application before it seeking the production warrant of the AAP leader in the excise policy case, news agency ANI reported.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. (ANI)

The ED, which arrested Sisodia on Thursday on money laundering charges in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, in its application sought 10-day custody of the deputy CM. The court said it will consider the ED plea in the matter after Sisodia is presented before it.

Sisodia is already in Tihar jail after he was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a CBI court on March 6 in a related case lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy for 2021-22. He was arrested by the CBI on February 26.

The arrest of the AAP leader by the ED comes a day before the expected hearing of his bail plea before the CBI court on Friday.

The ED alleged Sisodia was “evasive” in his replies and was “not cooperating” in the probe and hence was arrested.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that his former deputy was being kept in jail on false charges and that he was arrested by the ED because he would have got bail.

"First, Manish(Sisodia) was arrested by the CBI. CBI did not find any evidence and no money was found during the raids. Tomorrow there is a bail hearing. He would have been released tomorrow. So ED arrested him today. They have only one aim -- to keep Manish inside at all costs by slapping false cases. People are watching. They will reply," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

The first round of Sisodia's questioning by the ED took place on March 7 after its three-member team obtained the court's permission to question him during his judicial custody period.

Even if Sisodia gets bail in the CBI case on Friday, the ED can seek his custody.

If the ED gets his custody, he will be taken to the agency's headquarters in central Delhi for questioning and further recording of his statement and confrontation with other accused in the excise policy case.

(With inputs from agencies)