Liquor policy scam case: Delhi court sends AAP's Manish Sisodia to CBI custody till March 4

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to CBI custody till March 4.

The CBI had produced Sisodia before a court and sought his five-day custody on Monday, a day after arresting him in the excise policy scam case. Sisodia, who was produced before special judge M K Nagpal, claimed that there was no evidence against him and opposed the CBI's plea for his remand.

The counsel for the probe agency submitted that the arrested minister's custody was required for effective interrogation in the case.


Sisodia claimed that he had no role in the case but the probe showed he personally took decisions, the CBI submitted.

Sisodia's counsel, while opposing the probe agency's plea for custody, submitted that the CBI says he changed his cell phones, but that is not a crime.

The counsel said the policy was implemented after taking suggestions even from the Delhi lieutenant governor and that since it required consultations, there was no chance of conspiracy.

"I have tried to keep everything open," he said.

Earlier, the CBI brought Sisodia to the Rouse Avenue court amid high security presence.

There was a heavy security presence in and outside the Rouse Avenue Courts premises.

The CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22

The Aam Aadmi Party, which grew out of an anti-corruption movement a decade ago, also governs the northern state of Punjab. It is trying to make inroads into more states. Its leader Kejriwal, is viewed as having national political ambitions.

The AAP defeated Modi’s party in local civic polls late last year in a hotly contested ballot. Before that defeat the BJP had controlled the Municipal Corporation of Delhi — one of the largest local councils in the world, serving about 16 million residents — for more than a decade.

The victory allowed the AAP to solidify its hold over the Indian capital ahead of the Group of 20 meetings this year.