The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday informed a Delhi court that former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was arrested in connection with a corruption case related to the excise policy, had been interrogated for eight hours a day while in custody and stated that certain files related to the investigation were “still missing.” Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court extended Sisodia’s CBI custody by two days and directed the central agency to produce the Aam Aadmi Party leader before the court on Monday.
After Sisodia’s three-day remand expired, the CBI requested three additional days of custody for the AAP leader, stating he is “still non-cooperative” and “needs to be confronted.”
Responding to Special judge Nagpal’s question regarding the status of the investigation in custody, the CBI responded that a lot of time went into Sisodia’s medical examinations. “One whole day went in the petition he filed in the Supreme Court, which was dismissed,” the CBI said. Supreme Court bench comprising of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha on Tuesday refused to entertain Sisodia’s bail plea and quashing of the FIR in the excise policy case, saying it would set a “wrong precedent” and alternative remedies are available to him.
Sisodia’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishan, argued against CBI’s plea stating the agency’s inefficiency in completing the probe cannot be grounds for remand, and he cannot be asked to incriminate himself. “The ground for remand can’t be that we will wait, wait, wait till he confesses,” Krishan said.
The court was informed that “missing documents” related to the case have yet to be located, and two names have been provided with whom they must interrogate.
Special judge M K Nagpal told Krishnan that if he had issued his remand order, he could have challenged it before High Court. Krishnan clarified that the CBI’s ground for extending the remand today was not justifiable.
“When the court grants remand for the second time, the trust is higher,” he told the court. Krishnan said, “Manish Sisodia’s wife’s health is very poor, and she is technically in the vegetative stage.”
After the order was pronounced, Sisodia told the court the CBI was interrogating him for 10 hours, 10 am to 8 pm, in its custody, and repeated questions were causing mental harassment. The court then asked the CBI not to ask him repeated questions.
Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, Sisodia’s lawyer and AAP legal cell member Rishikesh Kumar said CBI’s remand plea today was a cut copy-paste of its previous one.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh termed the extension of Sisodia’s custody as “harassment by the CBI.” “It is a more serious issue now, as Sisodia’s lawyer has alleged,” he said. He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misusing central agencies and said, “people will reply and end Modi ji’s dictatorship.”
There was a strong security presence inside and outside the Rouse Avenue Court. Outside the premises, AAP supporters held a protest and chanted slogans. The CBI arrested Sisodia on Sunday evening concerning alleged corruption in formulating and implementing the now-cancelled liquor policy for 2021-22.
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