Delhi excise policy case: ED arrests Manish Sisodia again

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday arrested former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in Delhi excise policy case. 

It comes a day before his bail hearing by a CBI court. 

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia for eight hours at Tihar. 

Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, the  Enforcement Directorate  questioned and recorded his statement of Sisodia. The probe agency has also made a fresh arrest in the case as it took custody of Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai.

Manish Sisodia was arrested on February 26 in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court sent him to judicial custody till March 20.

The ED last year filed its first chargesheet in the case. The agency said it had so far undertaken nearly 200 search operations in this case after filing an FIR after taking cognisance of a CBI case which was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor.

The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, and undue favours extended to licence holders. It was further alleged that the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

Further, it was alleged that the Excise department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to Covid-19, it was alleged further.

This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, the agencies claimed

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