During the hearing, the Enforcement Directorate claimed that Sisodia made false statements about the 'scam,' claiming that...
Digital Desk: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was sent to Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand till March 17 in the alleged excise policy scam.
Special Judge MK Nagpal of Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to question Sisodia for the next seven days. The development comes after the AAP leader appeared in court earlier today, where the federal agency sought 10-day custody to interrogate him.
During the hearing, the Enforcement Directorate claimed that Sisodia made false statements about the 'scam,' claiming that it wanted to unearth the perpetrators' methods and confront the former Delhi deputy CM with the other accused.
Before the special court, ED counsel even claimed that Sisodia destroyed his phone, which was a crucial piece of evidence in the investigation.
Referring to the meetings between the restaurant association and Sisodia, the ED alleged that relaxations were afforded to the restaurants in terms of excise policy, like reducing the legal drinking age and other things.
However, claims made by the federal anti-money laundering investigation agency were challenged by a team of lawyers defending Sisodia.
Sisodia's lawyers, including top advocates Dayan Krishnan, Mohit Mathur, and Siddharth Aggarwal, claimed the excise policy was approved by the lieutenant governor, who must have examined it.
Meanwhile, the court has scheduled a hearing on Sisodia's bail plea for March 21. The AAP official was initially detained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case. In the same case, he was arrested by the ED on Thursday.
During today's hearing, scores of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) employees protested outside the courthouse, raising slogans in support of Manish Sisodia. On the other hand, several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers protested in the national capital, calling for chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation.
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