Delhi Court extends judicial custody for AAP leader Manish Sisodia
Delhi Court has extended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody till June 2 in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case concerning the Delhi Liquor Scam on May 12. It is pertinent to note that the consideration of the charge sheet is pending before the court.
Earlier, the CBI opposed Manish Sisodia’s bail plea before the Delhi High Court on April 26. The investigation agency said that the AAP leader “misused” his official position and dishonestly introduced changes to the Excise Policy under the influence of the South Group through his close associate Vijay Nair. The CBI added that the changes introduced by the applicant in the Excise Policy facilitated the cartelisation of the liquor trade in Delhi by the South Group and enabled the South Group to recover the kickbacks they paid up front.
On April 25, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Manish Sisodia and three others in the Delhi Liquor Scam case. It was reported that the supplementary chargesheet has been filed under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (Cheating) and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. An official confirmed that the supplementary chargesheet has been filed against Manish Sisodia, Amandeep Singh Dhall, Arjun Pandey and Butchi Babu Gorantla in the Delhi Liquor Scam case.
In its first chargesheet in the case, CBI alleged that around Rs 20-30 crore was arranged by suspect Abhishek Boinpally at the behest of South Group and paid to Vijay Nair via Dinesh Arora in cash between July and September 2021. Furthermore, it has been alleged that Manish Sisodia intervened personally to get Mahendru-promoted Indo Spirit’s application processed after anomalies were initially flagged.
ED’s case against Manish Sisodia
The Delhi Court also extended the accused AAP leader’s judicial custody in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case concerning the Delhi Liquor Scam till May 23.
Meanwhile, the AAP Minister Atishi Marlena cited the court’s other order granting bail to other accused, citing that the central agencies probing the scam have no evidence of corruption. She said, “There were two major allegations. First: Rs 100 crore bribe was received. Second: The amount was spent for Goa elections.” She added, “But the Rouse Avenue court order, through which two people got bail. The order should be read properly, as it makes it clear that ED and CBI have no evidence of the corruption of even 1 Rupee. The judge repeatedly said in the 86-page order that there is no evidence.”
It is pertinent to note that earlier the Court refused bail to Manish Sisodia in the money laundering case, stating that he is not just the architect of the criminal conspiracy but the brain behind the insertion of favourable clauses in the policy. Furthermore, the Court also found evidence of a kickback amount from the liquor policy was spent on AAP’s Goa campaign.
Manish Sisodia: The ‘Brain Behind The Conspiracy’
On April 28, the Delhi Court refused bail to Manish Sisodia in the ED case in the money laundering case concerning Delhi Liquor Scam. The Court said, “was not only an architect of above criminal conspiracy, but also the brain behind insertion of clauses of 12% profit margin for wholesalers and of enhancement of eligibility criteria for wholesalers from Rs. 100 crores to Rs. 500 crores.”
The court observed that Manish Sisodia was connected to the generation of “proceeds of crime” of around Rs 100 crores as advance kickbacks for the insertion of favourable clauses for the benefit of the ‘conspirators.’ The court said, “seriousness or gravity of the offence and its nature or category, the capacity of applicant in which it has been committed, the manner of its commission and also certain other factors like impact of the offence as well as the possible impact of release of applicant on society etc. are the factors which go against the applicant and force this court to decide against his release on bail in the present case.”
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