According to CBI sources, a digital device seized from the Delhi excise department led the agency to uncover Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia ‘s alleged role in the liquor policy case.
The CBI arrested Mr. Sisodia last night after an eight-hour questioning session.
He is scheduled to appear in court this afternoon. The senior AAP leader is accused of corruption in introducing a now-canceled liquor sale policy in the national capital. The party has denied the allegations, claiming political vendetta on the part of the BJP-led central government.
According to central agency sources, on August 19, a digital device was seized during a search at the excise department. According to the sources, while investigating it, the agency traced one of the excise policy draft documents to a system that was not part of the excise department network.
When they questioned an excise department official about it, they got a tip about the computer in Mr. Sisodia’s office, according to the sources, who added that the system was seized from the Deputy Chief Minister’s office on January 14.
According to the sources, the majority of the files on the system had been deleted, but they were able to recover the records with the assistance of the CBI’s forensic team. According to the forensic examination, the document under the scanner “originated externally” and was received via WhatsApp.
The CBI then summoned a DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Civil) Services) bureaucrat from the 1996 batch, who had served as Mr. Sisodia’s secretary, and questioned him about the file. In the first week of February, his statement was recorded in front of a magistrate.
According to the sources, Mr. Sisodia summoned him to the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in March 2021 and handed him a copy of the Group of Ministers’ draft report on excise policy. According to the official, Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, who is currently in jail after being arrested in a money laundering case, was also present at the meeting, according to CBI sources.
According to the sources, the “12% profit margin clause” was derived from a draft copy of the GoM report. According to CBI sources, there are no records of any discussion or file relating to how the 12% profit margin clause was determined.
Mr. Sisodia was questioned about this draft document during his interrogation, but he refused to share any details, according to CBI sources.
The central agency claimed that Mr. Sisodia “gave evasive replies and did not cooperate (in) the investigation despite being confronted with evidence to the contrary” in a statement made following his arrest yesterday. He has been detained as a result, the agency reported.
