In a recent development, a court in Delhi has decided to prolong the judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia until April 18, pertaining to a case involving alleged money laundering associated with the Delhi excise policy. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja took this decision after Sisodia was presented before the court upon the conclusion of his previous judicial custody term.
During the court proceedings, Sisodia's party colleague Sanjay Singh, who is also a co-accused in the case, made an appearance. Notably, Singh had been granted bail by the Supreme Court earlier.
Both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have raised allegations of irregularities in the modification of the Delhi Excise Policy. They assert that undue favors were granted to license holders, and there were instances of waiving or reducing license fees without proper authorization. Furthermore, licenses were purportedly extended without the requisite approval from competent authorities.
According to the investigating agencies, the beneficiaries of these alleged irregularities funneled their "illegal" gains to the accused officials while also resorting to falsifying entries in their financial records to evade detection.
Manish Sisodia was apprehended by the CBI on February 26, 2023, regarding his purported involvement in the said scam. Subsequently, the ED arrested him in connection with a money laundering case linked to the CBI's FIR on March 9, 2023.
In response to these legal challenges, Sisodia resigned from his position in the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.
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