CBI team leaves Sisodia's house, seizes computer, cellphone
Darpan News Desk IANS, 19 Aug, 2022 12:29 PM
New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) The day-long search operation by the CBI at the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the excise policy row came to end at 10:36 pm on Friday.
As per sources, the CBI officials have sezied the cellphone and computer of Sisodia, along with some documents, at the end of the search operation that began on Friday morning. sh The CBI teams on Friday conducted raids at 21 places across seven states in connection with the alleged irregularities in Delhi's new excise policy.
The CBI has mentioned 16 names in its FIR, with Sisodia as the No. 1 accused. The FIR has been lodged under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 477-A (falsification of accounts) of the Indian Penal Code.
The allegations against Sisodia are that liquor businessmen were allegedly given exemption of Rs 30 crore, and the licence holders were allegedly given extension as per their own will.
It also said that Sisodia and few liquor barrons were actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantage collected from liquor licensees to public servants, who have been made accused in the case.
"Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise), Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise), and Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise) were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without approval of competent authroity with an intention to extend undue favours to the licencees post tender," read the FIR, which has been accessed by IANS.
According to the BSF, around 5.15 a.m. an alert BSF team comprising Head Constable (HC) Gyan Singh and Constable Raju Biswas of 89 Battalion observed suspicious movement of miscreants, suspected to be smugglers both across the International Border as well as inside the Indian territory between the Border Outpost No. 33/06 and 33/07 in the cover of dense fog.
In an apparent embarrassment for Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, his 'elder sister' Suman Tur on Friday described him a 'cruel' for deserting her elderly mother after father's death with an intention to 'grab family property'. She told the media here that Sidhu had abandoned her mother and she passed away on a railway station in 1989.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday demanded transfer of state intelligence officials, including the top brass, who face charges of compromising the security of Punjab and indulging in electoral malpractices to provide "illegal, illegitimate and immoral" help to the ruling Congress.
Due to incessant rains and water logging of fields owing to overflow of nearby natural drains during September-October 2021 in Delhi, crops of farmers have been severely damaged, the Delhi government said in a release, adding that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had taken cognisance of the matter and assessed that a relief package for crop damage was necessary to be provided.
The SKM also reiterated that the name, banner or platform of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will not be used by any political party or candidate in the run-up to the Assembly polls in Punjab, scheduled on February 20.
Appearing for the Punjab government, Senior Advocate P. Chidambaram argued that Majithia has gone into hiding after the rejection of his bail plea in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and now he is appearing through counsel.
