"BJP won't be able to stop development in Delhi": Manish Sisodia

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia on Monday said that no matter how hard the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tries, no development work will stop in Delhi.

New Delhi: Former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the liquor policy, said on Monday that no matter how hard the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tries, no development work will stop in the national capital. "Neither the work of Patparganj nor of Delhi will stop. No matter how hard BJP people try, no work of Delhi will stop," Sisodia said while being taken out from the Rouse Avenue Court.

Sisodia was on Monday produced in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court at the end of his judicial remand in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case in connection with the Delhi excise policy. Special Judge MK Nagpal on Monday extended Manish Sisodia's judicial custody in the ED case till May 23, 2023. Meanwhile, the court has also allowed application by Manish Sisodia's legal team to obtain and sign certain documents for approving the disbursement of funds for development work in his constituency.

On May 6, Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court was apprised by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that a proceed of the crime of around Rs 622 crore has been generated due to the alleged activities of the present accused Manish Sisodia. The agency was submitted before the court during a hearing on a charge sheet against former deputy CM Manish Sisodia.

Special judge MK Nagpal had listed the matter for consideration on May 10. ED apprised the court that the hard copy of the supplementary charge sheet has been filed. The federal agency on May 4, 2023, filed a supplementary chargesheet against Manish Sisodia in the Delhi excise policy case. The supplementary chargesheet was filed by special public prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta.

The supplementary charge has more than 2,100 pages. The operating part has 271 pages. The charge has been filed within the stipulated period of 60 days. Sisodia was arrested by the ED in this case on March 9. Earlier he was arrested by the CBI on February 26. He is the 29th accused arrested in this case. The CBI has already filed the charge sheet in the matter.

Recently Sisodia moved regular and interim bail pleas both in the High Court. He moved interim bail on the basis of his wife's illness and sought six weeks' bail in that. The High Court records there's a plea for interim bail also on the grounds of illness of his wife.

The Rouse Avenue Court last week dismissed the bail plea of Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case related to the excise case stating that "this case of economic offences having serious repercussions upon the general public and society at large as the evidence collected during investigation speaks volumes of his involvement in the commission of the said offence."

Court also noted that some evidence was also alleged to have surfaced during the investigation to show that some part of the kickback or bribe amount received from South lobby was spent or utilized in connection with the election campaign of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa. Further, some cash payments through hawala channels were alleged to have been sent to Goa for bearing the said expenses and even some fake invoices were alleged to have been created as a cover-up for the cash amounts transferred through hawala channels.

It was stated that the above cash transfers were made as per instructions of the co-accused Vijay Nair, who was the representative of the applicant and also the media incharge of AAP. He was allegedly looking after the work related to said elections. He also allegedly roped in a company named Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd owned by the co-accused Rajesh Joshi to do the election-related advertising work and other jobs for the party during said elections, noted the court.

The Enforcement Directorate on March 9 arrested former Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case, after hours of questioning at Tihar Jail. Sisodia was arrested by the CBI earlier in its ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). (ANI)