Manish Sisodia Arrested By ED After Hours Of Questioning In Delhi Excise Policy Case

Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was on Thursday arrested by the Enforcement Directorate after hours of grilling for the second day in connection with the irregularities in Delhi's now-scrapped excise policy. The first round of Sisodia's questioning by the ED took place on March 7.

Sisodia was already lodged in judicial custody at the Tihar Jail in the national capital after the CBI arrested him last month in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the liquor policy.

The 51-year-old was placed under arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following his questioning at the Tihar jail,  officials told PTI.

The agency alleged Sisodia was "evasive" in his replies and was "not cooperating in the probe."

The CBI had on February 26 arrested Sisodia in the alleged corruption linked to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. Sisodia’s arrest comes months after the arrest of former health minister Satyendar Jain, who was held on alleged money laundering charges. Both ministers resigned from their party posts earlier this week.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj have been inducted into the Arvind Kejriwal cabinet.

Meanwhile, a Delhi court is likely to hear Sisodia's bail application on Friday, nearly two weeks after he was arrested in the alleged corruption case. Special Judge M K Nagpal had directed the CBI to file its response to the AAP leader's application by March 10.

In his application, Sisodia had refuted claims of non-cooperation, saying that he joined the investigation as and when called for by the central probe agency. He also said that no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping him in custody as all the recoveries have already been made, adding that the other accused persons arrested in this case have already been granted bail.