Excise Policy Case: Sisodia Admitted He Destroyed 2 Phones with ‘Incriminating’ Evidence, Says CBI

The CBI charge sheet submitted in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court in the Excise Policy case states that former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia admitted that he destroyed two mobile phones, which contained “incriminating” evidence.

According to the charge sheet, the investigation revealed that from January 1, 2020 to August 19, 2022, Sisodia used three handsets, two of which were used before July 22, 2022 and confirmed to have been destroyed by him. was done. A response to a notice in this regard was registered under section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The CBI, in its charge sheet, has said that these handsets were “willfully disposed of and contained incriminating evidence relating to the (excise) policy”. This was another “aggravating circumstance” against Sisodia, it said.

The court took cognizance of the charge sheet against Sisodia, on which cnn-news18 Got full access.

Here’s everything you need to know:

• Manish Sisodia admitted that he destroyed two mobile phones. The CBI said the handset was “destroyed deliberately and contained incriminating evidence relating to the (excise) policy”. This was another “aggravating circumstance” against Sisodia, it said.
• The charge sheet states that Sisodia was the “chief architect” of the GOM (Group of Ministers) report.
• The CBI said that “undue advantage” was given to private wholesalers through high profit margins as part of the criminal conspiracy.
• The CBI further stated that Sisodia had an “ulterior motive” that the distributors would give him undue favors in exchange for favorable provisions. “In pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy, undue advantage was given to the private wholesalers in the form of very high profit margin (increased from 5% to 12%) and a scheme was created by the accused Manish to the manufacturers for availing undue discounts/incentives. The ulterior motive of Sisodia was that these distributors would give undue advantage to him or his close associate and representative Vijay Nair in lieu of such favorable provisions,” the agency said.
• The chargesheet further states that Sisodia manipulated the process of taking comments from the public.
• It states that he has fabricated the emails of the Chairman of the Minorities Commission.
• The charge sheet also mentions the criminal conspiracy set up by members of the ‘South Group’ visiting Delhi and Nair going to Hyderabad. It said, “The criminal conspiracy with regard to inclusion of favorable provisions in the new excise policy is further established by the visit of accused Vijay Nair to Hyderabad.”
• The CBI said that the members of the ‘South Group’ had gone to Delhi to hatch the conspiracy. “During this period, on 20.05.2021 and 21.05.2021, the accused persons of ‘South Group’ – Abhishek Boinapalli, Arun R. Pillai, Buchibabu Gorantla and Sharath Reddy – had traveled by chartered aircraft to New Delhi and held a meeting Accused Vijay Nair, along with other accused persons – Amandeep Singh Dhall and Arjun Pandey – at Gaur Apartment near Claridge’s Hotel in New Delhi on 21.05.2021 – where criminal conspiracy in relation to modus operandi of obtaining pecuniary advantage in lieu of undue benefit was framed in the excise policy,” it said.
• The CBI also said that several provisions suggested by the members of the ‘South Group’ were added as it is in the GoM report. The WhatsApp chat revealed that the provision for a new designation of ‘Direct Wholesale Operations’ and the provision for ‘Joint Venture’ to run ‘Elite Stores/Super Premium’ stores had been reintroduced, as on March 22, 2022 is in the final report of the GoM. , it added, when they were not even mentioned in the draft policy.