Manish Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, has been denied bail by a special court in a money laundering case related to the Delhi liquor policy. The court judge, MK Nagpal, stated that the investigation was at a critical stage and therefore, bail could not be granted. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed Mr Sisodia’s request for bail, alleging that he fabricated emails to demonstrate public approval of the new liquor policy. The CBI, which is investigating the case, has accused Mr Sisodia of being ‘prima facie the architect’ of a conspiracy to take kickbacks from a liquor lobby.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had ordered the CBI probe last year, following which the Delhi government reverted to the old liquor policy and blamed the Lieutenant Governor for loss of revenue worth crores of rupees that the AAP government claimed would have come if the new policy had continued. The CBI is also focusing on the alleged influence of a ‘south lobby’ of businessmen and politicians in making the Delhi liquor policy.
Butchibabu Gorantla, a former chartered accountant of K Kavitha, leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested by the CBI, and Ms Kavitha was also questioned in the case. The denial of bail to Mr Sisodia on March 31 was also on the grounds that his release would ‘adversely affect the ongoing investigation.’
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