Excise policy scam: Sisodia remanded to judicial custody in ED case
Darpan News Desk IANS, 22 Mar, 2023 11:24 AM
New Delhi, March 22 (IANS) A Delhi Court on Wednesday sent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to judicial custody till April 5 in the excise policy case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
On expiry on Sisodia's ED custody, which was extended on March 17, he was produced before Special Judge M.K. Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Court. The judge said: "We will send him to judicial custody till April 5."
Sisodia is already in judicial custody in the corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Sisodia, however, urged the court to allow him to carry some religious and spiritual books during his judicial custody.
The court then asked him to move an application in this regard.
Sisodia on Tuesday moved a bail plea in the same court in the ED case and the court while issuing notice to the central agency, listed the matter for the next hearing on March 25.
The court had, on Monday, sent Sisodia to judicial custody till April 3, in the same case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
After the CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26, the ED also arrested him in the same case on March 9.
During the last hearing in the ED case, the court was apprised by the ED that important details have come up during Sisodia's custody and he had to be confronted with other accused persons.
The probe agency had informed the court that voluminous data from Sisodia's email and mobile, etc. is also being forensically analysed.
Sisodia's counsel, however, had opposed the central agency's remand plea saying that there is not a whisper from the agency regarding the proceeds of the crime, which is fundamental to the case.
His lawyer had further contended that there is no justification in seeking extension of custody and that Sisodia was confronted only with four people during his earlier custody of seven days.
The ED had said that they need to unearth the modus operandi, the entire scam and confront Sisodia with some other people.
ED's counsel Zoheb Hossain, while claiming that Sisodia was a part of the "money laundering nexus" had said that the movement of tainted money through hawala channels was also being probed.
Hossain had submitted that the policy was formulated to ensure that certain private entities got huge benefits and that one of the biggest cartels was made to operate 30 per cent of liquor business in Delhi.
Referring to the meetings between restaurants association and Sisodia, the ED had alleged that relaxations were given to the restaurants in excise policy like reducing the legal age of drinking and other things.
The central agency had argued that Sisodia had destroyed the evidence.
"Within a span of one year, 14 phones have been destroyed and changed," the agency had claimed.
"Sisodia has used phones purchased by others and SIM cards that are not in his name so that he can use it as a defence later. Even the phone used by him is not in his name," the ED counsel had submitted.
He (Sisodia) has been evasive from the start, the ED had alleged.
There was a conspiracy behind framing the excise policy. The conspiracy was coordinated by Vijay Nair, along with others and the excise policy was brought out for extraordinary profit margin for wholesalers, the ED had argued in the court.
Getting around Stanley Park since the pandemic struck is a new experience for Tom Green. Roads that weave through the urban forest in Vancouver have been closed to traffic, making space for residents to get fresh air at a physical distance.
The Punjab Police on Wednesday evening charged former state DGP Sumedh Singh Saini and six other police officials at Mohali in a 29-year-old case of alleged kidnapping, torture, and “stage-managed elimination” of Balwant Singh Multani, son of IAS officer Darshan Singh Multani. In the FIR filed, Palwinder Singh Multani, brother of the alleged victim, has named six other police officials, including DSP Baldev Singh Saini, Inspector Satvir Singh, SI Har Sahai Sharma, SI Jagir Singh, SI Anoop Singh and ASI Kuldip Singh.
British Columbia is unveiling a digital registration system for evacuees as the province prepares for the upcoming wildfire season while coping with physical distancing restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A statement from the Ministry of Public Safety says the new platform will allow communities to provide emergency support services, including evacuee self-registration and referrals.
Indians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus pandemic will be brought back home as of May 7th but it will be a gradual process. Aircraft and naval ships will be arranged for their travel, the government said in a statement, adding the service will be offered on "payment-basis". Only those asymptomatic will be allowed onboard.
Two terrorists and an associate have been killed in an encounter that began on Saturday morning in Awantipora, a city in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. As of this writing, a search operation was still ongoing.
In India more than 23,000 people have, or have had, the new coronavirus, central health ministry data showed on Friday. More than 700 of those infected have died -- a dreadful total, but a relatively low number compared to fatalities in other countries facing outbreaks. India is currently under an extended lockdown til May 3rd that was imposed last month to contain the spread of the virus, which is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets.
