CBI interrogates Manish Sisodia’s personal assistant in Delhi excise policy case

Hours after the Enforcement Directorate began questioning former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in Tihar jail, the CBI on Tuesday questioned his personal assistant Devender Sharma in connection with the consumer policy case, officials said.

The CBI is investigating allegations of corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-cancelled Delhi Consumption Policy for 2021-22. Sharma alias Rinku was summoned to the CBI headquarters where he was interrogated by anti-corruption branch officials since morning, they said. The agency arrested Sisodia on February 26 and he was sent to judicial custody by a special CBI court here till March 20, officials said. Sisodia, who was in charge of the excise department, was not named as an accused in the chargesheet filed in the case on November 25 last year.

According to CBI officials, it did not name Sisodia in the charge sheet as the central probe agency kept the investigation against him and other suspects and accused open. The CBI alleged that wholesalers were being given disproportionate profit margins under the influence of the "South Lobby", a group of Hyderabad-based businessmen and politicians, under the Delhi government's excise duty policy for 2021–22, an allegation strongly refuted by the Aam Aadmi. Party (AAP). The policy was later rescinded.

"Furthermore, irregularities were alleged to have been committed, including adjustments in excise duty policy, giving undue benefits to licensees, waiver/reduction of license fee, extension of L-1 license without approval etc.," a CBI spokesperson said after the FIR was filed on August 17. last year. "It was also alleged that illegal profits in the number of these acts were diverted to the concerned government employees by the private parties by making false entries in their books," the official said.