Manish Sisodia remanded to judicial custody till April 5 in ED case related to Delhi Excise Policy Scam

A Delhi court on Wednesday remanded Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to judicial custody till April 5 in the money laundering case initiated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to the Delhi excise policy scam. .Special judge MK Nagpal at Rouse Avenue court passed the order."We will send him to judicial custody till April 5," the judge said..Sisodia requested that he be allowed to carry some books including Bhagwad Geeta to prison."You move an application, we will allow," the judge said..Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the liquor policy case on February 26 and is already in judicial custody in that case.He remained in CBI custody till March 6. After that, he was sent to judicial custody.He was subsequently remanded to ED custody on March 10 for a week. On March 17, the court extended his custody for five more days.It has been alleged that Sisodia and other members of the AAP connived to grant liquor licenses to certain traders in exchange for bribes.The central agencies' case is that the excise policy was tweaked and the profit margins were changed in a manner that benefited certain traders and kickbacks were received in exchange for the same.The ED and the CBI registered cases in relation to the alleged scam after Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe based on a report by the Delhi Chief Secretary. The report claimed that Sisodia violated statutory provisions and notified a policy that had significant financial implications.Although Sisodia was not named in the CBI's chargesheet, the probe remained open against him and some others.AAP has denied the allegations and maintained that Sisodia is innocent.It is Sisodia's stance that the policy and the changes made in it were approved by the LG and that CBI is now going after the policy decisions of an elected government.