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Delhi excise policy case: AAP's Manish Sisodia's judicial custody extended till April 18
AAP leader Manish Sisodia's judicial custody got extended till April 18 by Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court.
A Delhi court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia till April 18 in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Manish Sisodia's judicial custody after he was produced before the court on the expiry of the judicial custody granted earlier. His party colleague Sanjay Singh, a co-accused who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in the case, also appeared before the court for the proceedings.
Manish Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the "scam". The ED arrested Sisodia in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.
Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.
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Earlier this week, the Aam Aadmi Party leader alleged that the Enforcement Directorate has not been able to prove that the money trail leads back to him. His counsel told the court that since the allegations against him are yet to be established, he is entitled to bail.
The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority's approval.
A day before his bail hearing, Manish Sisodia on Friday addressed a letter to the public from inside Tihar Jail, comparing his plight with the atrocities committed by the British against freedom fighters and asserting his commitment towards education for children.
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Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar till April 15
On Monday, the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi extended the custody of Arvind Kejriwal till April 15, sending him to Tihar Jail till his next hearing. Unlike Sisodia, Kejriwal said he won't step down from his post and will continue to run the Delhi government from inside jail.
After his arrest, Kejriwal alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is using central agencies like ED and CBI as part of a “political conspiracy” to topple his government in the national capital.
He addressed the Delhi court himself on March 28, where he said that the ED has not made any firm allegations against him in their report, which is why there is no grounds for his arrest.
However, the ED sought an extension of his custody to analyse the mobile phones seized from Kejriwal's residence. They also said that they want to put Kejriwal face to face with some of the accused in the excise policy case.
(With inputs from PTI)
