Delhi Court Extends AAP Leaders’ Custody in Alleged Excise Scam Money Laundering Case; Sisodia Resigned as Deputy Chief Minister. Investigation Stemmed from CBI’s Claims of Irregularities in Delhi Excise Policy.
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DELHI: Today(on 7th March),a Delhi court has decided to prolong the judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh concerning an ongoing money laundering case connected to an alleged excise scam. Special Judge M K Nagpal made this decision after the leaders were presented before the court following the expiration of their earlier judicial remand.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) pushed for an extension of their judicial custody, emphasizing the critical stage of the case. The ED expressed concerns that releasing the accused at this juncture might impede the ongoing investigation. The case revolves around alleged irregularities during the modification of the Delhi excise policy, including the extension of undue favors to license holders, reduction or waiver of license fees, and the extension of the L-1 license without proper authority approval.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initiated the case, alleging that “irregularities were committed” in the excise policy modification. According to the CBI, not only were undue benefits extended to license holders, but false entries were also made in their books of account to avoid detection, diverting “illegal” gains to the accused. The ED, building on the CBI’s findings, has been delving into the money laundering aspects of this alleged scam.
The sequence of events leading to the current judicial custody extension began with the CBI’s arrest of Manish Sisodia in February 2023. Subsequently, the ED took him into custody from Tihar Jail in March. Following his arrest by the CBI, Sisodia resigned from the position of Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, adding a political dimension to the legal proceedings.
In a separate arrest, Sanjay Singh, another AAP leader, was taken into custody by the ED in October 2023. Notably, Singh had been elected for a second consecutive term to the Rajya Sabha in January of the same year, underscoring the prominence of the individuals involved.
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The gravity of the accusations and the subsequent legal actions have drawn significant attention, not only due to the political affiliations of the accused but also because of the alleged financial improprieties surrounding the excise policy modification in Delhi.
