The former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia appeared before the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi for a hearing on his bail plea.
Sisodia told the court that fromthe initial stages, he has been cooperating with the CBI investigation into the excise scam case. He added that however no the search has revealed any incriminating material against him.
The counsel for Sisodia, while making submissions on the bail plea said that the custodial interrogation was no longer required and Sisodia was not a flight risk.
The Counsel for Sisodia, added that there’s no documentary evidence of receiving any kickbacks against the former deputy CM and the change in the excise policy is purely in the normal course.
The lawyer added that the matter of change in excise policy went to the Delhi LG and the finance secretary among others.
He added that all the offences alleged entail less than seven years of imprisonment in the case and any further incarceration is not justified.
The bail was opposed by CBI which contended that Sisodia had dealt with an ‘unprecedented’ 18 ministries and it may be true that he is not a flight risk but he is definitely a risk for evidence destruction.
The CBI counsel submitted that frequently changing phones by the former deputy chief minister cannot be counted as act of innocence but as deliberate attempt for the destruction of evidence in the case.
The CBI counsel explained reasonably that the probing agency has 60 days to file the chargesheet in the case and if Manish Sisodia comes out, investigation will be seriously compromised.
The reason for this is very obvious as Sisodia is definitely in a position to influence witnesses and destroy evidence in the case.
Sisodia’s lawyer however argued back stating that nothing on record can show that Sisodia will be threatening the witnesses,”
.On Monday, Sisodia’s judicial custody was extended till April 3 by the Delhi court in the excise policy case being probed by the CBI.He is at present in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in a related case.The ED had arrested Sisodia on March 9 evening in the Tihar jail, where he was lodged in connection with the case being probed by the CBI pertaining to alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22.