Sisodia requests court to allow him carry these books in judicial custody

The Enforcement Directorate arrested AAP leader Manish Sisodia on March 9 while he was already in Tihar Jail in connection with the CBI case.

A Delhi court on Wednesday sent former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in excise policy 2021-2022. Sisodia was produced before special Judge MK Nagpal of Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court after his Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in the money laundering probe ended today.

Delhi former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was arrested on March 9 by ED (Twitter Photo)

Sisodia urged the court to allow him to carry some religious and spiritual books during his judicial custody. The court asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader to move an application in this regard, saying it will allow the request.

Sisodia is already in judicial custody in case lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The CBI on February 26 arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. ED arrested Sisodia on March 9 while he was already in Tihar Jail in connection with the CBI case.

On Tuesday, the special court deferred the hearing to March 25 on the bail plea of Sisodia in the main case being probed by the CBI.

Sisodia said he was neither a flight risk nor the CBI has found anything incriminating against him in its probe into the alleged irregularities relating to the excise policy. His lawyers argued there was no documentary evidence of him receiving “kickbacks” and the allegation that the accused destroyed documentary evidence was “vague”.

Opposing the bail plea, CBI’s special public prosecutor D P Singh said Sisodai was “definitely” in a position to influence witnesses and destroy evidence.

“We have only 36 days left to file the chargesheet. Till that time he (Sisodia) being released on bail will scuttle our investigation,” the SPP said.

(With ANI inputs)