CBI files first charge sheet against 7 in excise case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its first charge sheet in the Delhi excise policy scandal against seven co-accused, including two businessmen who were arrested by the federal agency.

Manish Sisodia, Delhi's deputy chief minister, does not figure in the instant charge sheet. The agency told a special CBI Court that the alleged role of Sisodia is under investigation.

The CBI further informed the Court that the probe pertaining to the role of other co-accused, broader conspiracy, money trail, cartelisation and larger conspiracy hatched in to execute the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy was still open.


The charge sheet runs into 10,000 pages (along with annexures), according to people in the know.

On November 16, a local court permitted Dinesh Arora, an alleged aide of Sisodia, to turn approver in the scandal.

The CBI had moved the Court seeking permission to turn co-accused (Arora) into a witness, submitting that he had cooperated with the investigation. As per available information, having got Arora's "confession" recorded before a Judicial Magistrate, the CBI is likely to summon Sisodia again for further questioning.