According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignations of former Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain on Tuesday. Both Sisodia and Jain are currently being held in Tihar jail for charges related to the Delhi Excise Policy Case and Money Laundering Case, respectively (MHA).
Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj of the AAP have also been named by the President as ministers in the Delhi cabinet, according to the MHA’s notification, according to the news agency ANI. This appointment will take effect on the day they will be sworn in.
Last week, the letters of resignation were delivered to the President by Delhi’s lieutenant governor, VK Saxena.
As soon as Sisodia was taken into custody by the CBI, Jain also announced his resignation. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Jain in May of last year in connection with a money laundering investigation.
Kejriwal, who does not hold any portfolios, is one of the five members who make up the Delhi council of ministers. Notably, Sisodia was in charge of 18 portfolios of 33 departments, including education, finance, planning, and urban development, among others, before he was arrested. Sisodia was also in charge of Jain’s additional responsibilities.
Their departments have been divided between Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand since the arrest of the two AAP leaders. Gahlot is in charge of the following departments: finance, planning, public works department, power, home, urban development, water, irrigation, and flood control, whereas Anand is in charge of education, land and building, vigilance, tourism, services, art culture and language, labour, health, employment, and industries.
In the meantime, the Delhi-based businessman Arun Pillai from Hyderabad was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy case. A Delhi court ordered Pillai to be remanded by ED until 13th of March 2023.
