The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday summoned Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for questioning in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
The central agency has asked Sisodia to appear before it at 11 am at its headquarters in the state capital.
Responding to the call, Sisodia said, “There was a CBI raid in my house for 14 hours, and nothing came out. They searched my bank locker, but nothing was found in it. They did not find anything in my village.
Now I have been called to CBI headquarters tomorrow at 11 am. I will go and I will fully cooperate. Satyameva Jayate.
Later, AAP’s Saurabh Bhardwaj held a press conference on Sunday and declared that Manish Sisodia “will be arrested tomorrow”.
“We understand the fact that Manish Sisodia will be arrested tomorrow not for the liquor scam but for the upcoming Gujarat elections.
The BJP is afraid of the programs Manish Sisodia has within the next month and that is why they are arresting him,” said Saurabh Bhardwaj.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal also responded to the CBI’s call and said, “Prison bars and a noose could not deter Bhagat Singh’s intentions. This is the second freedom struggle.
The CBI has questioned a number of people in connection with the case, including Sameer Mahendru, owner of Indo Spirits, Amit Arora, director of Buddy Retail Private Limited in Gurugram, and India Ahead News managing director Mooth Gautam, officials said.
The agency arrested Vijay Nair, an AAP worker and former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company, and Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally, whose partner Arun Pillai was named as an accused in the CBI FIR. he said.
The CBI registered an FIR against Sisodia and 14 others in a special court here in August under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 477A (falsification of records) and section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which deals with undue influence on public agents by corrupt or illegal means or by the exercise of personal influence.
Lt. Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has recommended that the CBI investigate alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of Delhi’s excise policy, which was made public in November last year, officials said.
After registering the FIR, the agency conducted searches at Sisodia’s premises and opened his locker at a bank in Ghaziabad.