Liquor Policy Case: Delhi Court Sends Manish Sisodia To Judicial Custody In Money Laundering Case

A Delhi Court on Wednesday remanded Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister to judicial custody in a money laundering case connected to the national capital's excise policy of 2021-22.

Sisodia was produced before Special Judge MK Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Courts on expiry of custody of Enforcement Directorate (ED). He is already in judicial custody in the corruption case being probed by the CBI.

"We will send him to judicial custody till April 5," Judge Nagpal said.

While remanding him to ED custody, the court had earlier observed that Sisodia was instrumental at every state in the formulation and implementation of excise policy and that his arrest in the money laundering registered was justified.

ED has alleged that the excise policy was implemented as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12% to certain private companies. It has said that such a stipulation was not mentioned in the minutes of meetings of Group of Ministers (GoM).

The agency also submitted that there was a conspiracy which was coordinated by Vijay Nair and other individuals along with South Group to give extraordinary profit margin to wholesalers. It was contended that Nair was acting on behalf of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi.

On destruction of evidence, ED has said that Sisodia destroyed 14 phones out of which only two were recovered. It was also submitted that the AAP leader used sim cards and phones which were purchased in the name of others individuals.

On February 27, the trial court had remanded Sisodia to CBI's custody for five days. He was later again sent to CBI custody for two more days. On March 06, he was sent to judicial custody in the CBI case. It was during judicial custody that he was arrested by the ED.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 after an interrogation of more than 8 hours. He was named as an accused in the FIR. It is the case of the probe agency that there were alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy for the year 2021-22.

The CBI alleged that Sisodia was arrested as he gave evasive replies and did not cooperate with the investigation despite being confronted with evidence. Chargesheet in the matter was filed on November 25, 2022.

The CBI FIR states that Sisodia and others were instrumental in “recommending and taking decisions” regarding the excise policy 2021-22 “without approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensee post tender.”