Court sends Manish Sisodia to CBI remand till March 4

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has been sent to five-day custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the excise policy case. During the hearing, the CBI sought five days for Sisodia, claiming the conspiracy was hatched in a very planned and secret manner.

Sisodia's lawyer opposed the remand application, arguing, "If someone is not willing to say something, that can't be a ground for arrest". “What should I do with a phone that I changed? I am a minister, I cannot send it to a second-hand shop, it would have important data. CBI confronted me with the material but I did not confess", the minister's lawyer said on Sisodia's behalf.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI yesterday in connection with the alleged irregularities in the excise policy 2021-22 after being grilled by the central agency for eight hours. The Aam Aadmi Party workers have been on the streets since Sisodia arrived at the CBI office for grilling yesterday. Heavy security deployment has been put in place outside the Rouse Avenue court where the hearing is being conducted.

The CBI had released a statement on Sisodia's arrest, claiming he was evasive and not cooperating in the ongoing investigation. “The Remand application says I gave evasive replies. This cannot be a ground for remand. They search my residence on August 19. 2022. I hand over my phone. They called me to join the investigation and I joined. I cooperated,” Sisodia's counsel Dayan Krishnan argued.