New Delhi: A Delhi Special Court on Friday remanded Former Deputy Chief Minister and AAP Leader Manish Sidodia, arrested on the allegations of corruption in the Delhi liquor policy case, to Enforcement Department (ED) custody for seven days.
Special Judge MK Nagpal gave the order after hearing pleas of both the prosecution and the defence.
The court adjourned the hearing on Sisodia’s bail application till March 21.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged before the court that Sidodia is not cooperating in the investigation. The ED counsel submitted that there is a conspiracy in the framing of the Delhi Excise Policy to provide illegal benefits to certain people. and sought a ten-day ED-remand for Sisodia saying it was needed to get details of alleged money laundering during the framing of the new liquor policy for Delhi that resulted in extraordinary profits for wholesalers.
Counsel for Sidodia opposed the plea of ED by submitting before the court not a single penny has been traced from Sidodia in this matter. He submitted that it was the executive’s job to lay down policy and a policy goes through several layers of bureaucracy and then goes to LG. He has applied his mind. So plea of ED custody of Sidodia may be dismissed in the interest of justice.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Sidodia on February, 26 after questioning him on various aspects of the Excise Policy for 2021-22. According to the federal investigating agency, the Excise Policy suffered from irregularities both in its formulation and implementation.
