Crucial information revealed during custody, says ED while seeking extension of Sisodia’s remand

New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said crucial information has been revealed by Manish Sisodia during his custody while seeking extension of former Delhi’s deputy chief minister’s remand in connection with the Excise Policy case.

ED further said, in view of the findings, we have issued summons to Rahul Singh, ex-Excise Commissioner, the then Excise Commissioner for March 20 (who was first issued summons for March 15 but had taken adjournment of at least 4 days as he is suffering from viral infection and fever). C Aravind, the then Secretary, Deputy CM for March 21, Dinesh Arora for March 17; and Amit Arora for March 20 have already been issued, said ED. The above findings and persons need to be confronted with Manish Sisodia, said ED.

The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Friday noted the submissions of both sides reserve the order on remand application of ED. The order will be passed in sometime today.
Appearing for Sisodia, Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur opposed the remand application of ED. “This change of phone was part of the CBI remand and is now the part of ED application. Personal liberty is paramount. The court is the custodian of our liberty. My liberty is at your hand. During 7 days of custody, they had only 4 people to be confronted. Confrontation need not custody,” the lawyer added.

Appearing for ED, Advocates Zohaib Hossain submitted that huge mail data, and mobile data all of that are being forensically analyzed. The mobile phone was changed the day when LG wrote to the CBI, which was used by Sisodia for a long time.

Counsel for ED further submitted that the statements were confirmed by the recovery of the data received from the computer of the arrestee. Mobile data, email data, and cloud data were also received during the interpretation, ED said.

Earlier, ED said, the act of pro-active destruction of evidence leads to only one inference that Manish Sisodia made conscious efforts to destroy evidence of the offence of money laundering, said Enforcement Directorate while seeking remand of Manish Sisodia in connection with the Excise Policy case.

Appearing for ED, Advocates Zohaib Hossain and Naveen Kumar Matta had earlier submitted that even in the statement given by Manish Sisodia on March 7 and March 9, he has been untrue. “On being asked about his association with Dinesh Arora, who handled the transfer of kickbacks from the South Group to Vijay Nair, he gave an answer contrary to what has been revealed by independent persons/stakeholders.

Sisodia was on Friday presented before the court at 2 pm after the end of his remand period in the case, granted earlier by the same court.

The ED earlier also told the court that Manish Sisodia had purchased SIM cards and mobile phones in other people’s names.

There was a conspiracy behind framing the excise policy. The conspiracy was coordinated by Vijay Nair, along with others and the Excise policy was brought out for extraordinary profit margin for wholesalers, ED argued in the court.

ED told the court that the margin of 12 per cent of wholesale profit margin to private entities was never discussed in the GoM meeting.

The probe agency had also apprised the court about the meeting between Vijay Nair and K Kavitha (BRS MLC).

ED stated that accused Butchibabu Gorantla disclosed a political understanding between then Dy CM Manish Sisodia and K Kavitha who also met Vijay Nair.

Butchibabu is the former auditor of K Kavitha and is presently on bail. Countering Sisodia’s lawyer’s arguements, the ED lawyer told the court that if the policy is a matter of executive then there would not be a coal scam or a 2G scam.

Earlier, Sisodia was arrested last week by ED in money laundering in connection with the excise policy case.

He was arrested during his Judicial custody in Tihar Jail, where he was lodged in.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9 arrested former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case, after hours of questioning at Tihar Jail.

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.