BJP protests against AAP govt in Delhi, police detain protestors

Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers protest against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Friday in Delhi ahead of the bail plea hearing of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case.

They also put up posters naming Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Former minister Satyendar Jain, who is currently in Tihar Jail in a money laundering case.

Manish Sisodia was brought to Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped liquor policy.

The Enforcement Directorate has also moved the court seeking Sisodia’s custody for 10 days.

“Same things will happen with Arvind Kejriwal which happened with Manish Sisodia. After CBI, ED also arrested Manish Sisodia on the basis of proof,” said BJP leader Manoj Tiwari who was present at the protests.

Tiwari also added, “Delhi’s public will not believe in them now. They (AAP) have ruined the state.”

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in the liquor policy case on February 26 and was sent to 14-day judicial custody on March 6.

The ED also made another arrest in the case earlier, as it took Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai into its custody.

The ED, on Thursday, summoned Bharatiya Rashtriya Samiti (BRS) MLC and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha for questioning in the liquor policy case.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI earlier in its ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court sent him to Judicial Custody till March 20.

ED, last year, filed its first chargesheet in the case. The agency said it has, so far, undertaken nearly 200 search operations in this case after an FIR was filed, taking cognisance of the CBI case registered on the recommendation of Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.

The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary’s report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials had said.

The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, and undue favours were extended to licence holders. It was further alleged that the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

Further, it was alleged that the Excise department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to Covid-19, it was alleged further.

This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, the agencies claimed.