Today, On 26th July, In the Delhi excise policy case, the court extended the judicial custody of Manish Sisodia and K Kavitha. Both presented before the court via video conferencing as their previous custody period ended today.
New Delhi: A Delhi court extended the judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, along with Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha, until July 31 in connection with the CBI case regarding the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
The court made this decision the day after extending their custody in the money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Sisodia and Kavitha appeared before the court via video conferencing as their previous judicial custody term expired on Friday.
Previously, the Delhi High Court denied bail to Kavitha, whom the ED identified as one of the primary orchestrators of the criminal conspiracy behind the creation and execution of the now-revoked Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
Kavitha was taken into custody by the ED on March 15 at her Hyderabad residence in relation to a money laundering case. Subsequently, the CBI arrested her in Tihar Jail on charges of corruption. She remains in judicial custody for both cases.
Manish Sisodia arrested by the CBI in February 2023 for his alleged involvement in the liquor policy case. Following this, the ED arrested him in March 2023 on charges of money laundering. He has been under judicial custody since his arrest.
Sisodia’s arrest by the CBI on February 26, 2023, followed by subsequent detention in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, has drawn attention to the legal proceedings surrounding the case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also arrested Sisodia on March 9 in connection with a money laundering case initiated by the CBI-led investigation.
Despite Sisodia’s bail pleas, the Supreme Court upheld the denial of relief, citing the tentative establishment of a money trail amounting to Rs 338 crore in the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the Delhi liquor policy.
K. Kavitha previously remanded to judicial custody until April 23, 2024, by the Rouse Avenue Court. The ED’s investigation revealed that Kavitha, along with others, conspired with top leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, to obtain favours in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy. In return for these favours, she allegedly involved in paying Rs. 100 crore to AAP leaders.