New Delhi: The CBI has confronted former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia with his former secretary C Arvind and the then Excise Commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna in connection with the alleged rigging of the now-cancelled Delhi Excise Policy. Officials gave this information on Saturday. He said Sisodia, who is facing intense questioning by officials of the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch, is yet to be confronted with two more important witnesses, whose identities have not been disclosed by the agency.
The CBI brings Sisodia face to face with Arvind and Krishna. Officials said that Sisodia’s “attitude and behaviour” during these confrontations was uncooperative and evasive.
The federal probe agency had arrested Sisodia on February 26 for allegedly not cooperating with the probe and evading questions from investigators. A special CBI court on Saturday extended Sisodia’s custody till March 6.
Officials said the agency wanted to use Sisodia’s custody to locate a crucial missing file containing legal opinion on the recommendations of the expert committee on excise policy, which is still untraceable.
“The investigation conducted so far in this case has revealed that Manish Sisodia played an active role in the commission of the alleged offenses as he was a member of the Group of Ministers as well as manipulating certain changes in the cabinet as Excise Minister. Note, which was prepared on the draft policy and placed along with the comments taken in the form of expert committee report and opinion received from general public and stakeholders, with certain ulterior motives and designs and certain stakeholders of the Excise Policy Illegal object of cartelization and monopoly in sale of liquor in Delhi to help achieve the same,” Special Judge MK Nagpal said in his February 27 order.
Sisodia, who was in charge of the excise department, was not mentioned as an accused in the chargesheet filed in the case on November 25 last year.
According to officials, the CBI had not named Sisodia in the charge sheet as the central probe agency had kept the probe against him and other suspects and accused open.
In the FIR, the CBI has booked them under IPC sections 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) and 477A (manipulation of accounts) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, including section 7. illegal means or by use of personal influence).
Along with Sisodia, the CBI also named Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise); Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise); Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise); Vijay Nair, former CEO, Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company; Manoj Rai, former employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhall, Director, Brindco Sales Pvt. Ltd.; Sameer Mahendru, managing director of Indospirit Group, has been named as an accused in the FIR.
It has been alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 for granting licenses to liquor traders favored some dealers who allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly denied by the AAP. The policy was later repealed.
“It was further alleged that irregularities were committed including amendment of excise policy, giving undue advantage to licensees, exemption/reduction in license fee, extension of L-1 license without approval etc.
A CBI spokesperson had said after registering the FIR on August 17 last year, “It was also alleged that illegal benefits on account of these acts were given by the private parties to the concerned public servants by making wrong entries in their books of accounts.” Was.”