LG approved Excise Policy, then became complainant: Counsel for Manish Sisodia as Delhi court reserves order in CBI plea for custody

A Delhi Court on Monday reserved its order in the plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking custody of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for five days in a case related to the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam. .Judge MK Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court reserved the order after hearing arguments.The order will be pronounced later today. .Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Pankaj Gupta for CBI had sought five days of custody of Sisodia. He argued,"Investigation has revealed that Sisodia verbally directed the Secretary to pit a new cabinet note to bring about the change and variance in the policy. He was heading the Group of Ministers constituted by the cabinet for the Excise Policy...The profit margin was enhanced from 5% to 12%. He could not explain why the changes were made."He further said that the agency was asking for his phone which he has been using since January 2020..Appearing for Sisodia, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan countered,"Their grounds for remand are not tenable in law at all. All the arguments about profit margin was approved by the LG. The LG, who is the complainant in the case, approved it in May 2021."On the allegation that Sisodia destroyed three of his four phones, Krishnan said,"They say Sisodia used four phones, three of which are destroyed? What am I supposed to do? Keep those phones in anticipation that agency will come and arrest me?"He went on to argue,"Their case is I did not answer in the way they wanted me to answer. I will show why that is not a ground for remand. If your lordships grant remand for self-incrimination then that would be a travesty.".Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur also appeared for the Deputy CM. He said,"Today an Investigating Officer wants to go behind what an elected government wants to do and the constitutional functionary (LG) has approved it. Much has been made about the change from 5% to 12%. Please note that it was part of the note that was sent to the LG and no changes were suggested by the LG.".Senior Advocate Siddharth Aggarwal next submitted,"I am the Finance Minister (of Delhi). I have to present the Budget. Your Honour has to see the timing of the arrest. It is my submission that this case is an assault on not only an individual but even the institution. The remand in this case will send a very wrong message.".Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on Sunday evening after nearly eight hours of questioning. The CBI has made Sisodia one of the accused in its first information report (FIR) registered in the Delhi Excise Policy case. It is alleged that Sisodia and several other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) politicians favoured certain traders while granting them liquor licenses in return for bribes. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered cases in the alleged scam after a CBI probe was recommended by Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena. The probe was recommended based on a report by Delhi Chief Secretary alleging that the Deputy Chief Minister acted in violation of the statutory provisions and notified that policy that had huge financial implications. Interestingly, the CBI had not named Sisodia in its chargesheet, but kept the probe open against him and certain others. The AAP has maintained Sisodia is innocent and that the allegations against him are false and fabricated. .Delhi Excise Policy case: Delhi court denies bail to AAP's Vijay Nair and four others