NEW DELHI, Mar 18: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday opposed the bail of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia and submitted in the court that more “high-profile persons” could be arrested in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
After being denied bail on multiple occasions by the trial court, the Delhi High Court and even the Supreme Court, Mr Sisodia applied for a regular bail in the Rouse Avenue Court for the second time, earlier this month.
The Supreme Court, while denying him bail last year, had granted him liberty to move for bail within three months if the trial was delayed. The apex court, in its order, also noted that there was tentative establishment of a money trail of around ₹338 crore in the case.
His counsel alleged that the Central agency was delaying the trial as the arguments on the charge-sheet were not yet complete. The CBI argued that the investigation in the case was ongoing and if given bail, Mr Sisodia — one of the main accused and alleged kingpin of the conspiracy — could tamper with the evidences.
“Our investigation is ongoing. Some high-profile person or anyone else may be arrested,” the CBI’s counsel said. Mr Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi, was arrested by the CBI in February, last year, over allegations of irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy.
The agency alleged that the policy was modified to extend undue favours to licence holders. It further alleged that the licence fee was waived or reduced and L-1 (wholesaler) licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval to give favours to particular sellers.
After the CBI case, the ED filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency alleged that the money earned through the excise policy was diverted through “hawala” channels and spent on the AAP’s campaign in Goa ahead of the State Assembly elections there in 2022.
Last week, the ED arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislator K. Kavitha in the same case under allegations that she played a key role in lobbying for a “south group” of liquor manufacturers to get licence in Delhi. AAP’s senior leaders like Sanjay Singh and Satyendar Kumar Jain are also in jail in the same case while multiple summons issued to the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning as remained unanswered so far.
(Manas Dasgupta)
