Delhi liquor policy case: Manish Sisodia to appear before CBI today, AAP leaders allege house arrest
New Delhi/IBNS: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will be present at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office for questioning in the liquor policy case on Sunday.
Sisodia is expected to reach the CBI's headquarters in central Delhi's Lodhi Road at 11 am.
Sisodia visited Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Delhi's Rajghat before visiting the CBI office.
CBI दफ़्तर जाने के पहले, राजघाट पर बापू का आशीर्वाद लेने आया हूँ | LIVE https://t.co/tnFfqYUCTY
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) February 26, 2023
Aam Aadmir Party (AAP) leaders, meanwhile, alleged that they have been put under house arrest and the police have been posted in large numbers to arrest Sisodia after the questioning.
"Going to CBI again today, will cooperate fully in the entire investigation. The love of lakhs of children and the blessings of crores of countrymen are with us. I don't care if I have to stay in jail for a few months. I am a follower of Bhagat Singh who was hanged for the country," Sisodia tweeted.
आज फिर CBI जा रहा हूँ, सारी जाँच में पूरा सहयोग करूँगा. लाखों बच्चो का प्यार व करोड़ो देशवासियो का आशीर्वाद साथ है
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) February 26, 2023
कुछ महीने जेल में भी रहना पड़े तो परवाह नहीं. भगत सिंह के अनुयायी हैं, देश के लिए भगत सिंह फाँसी पर चढ़ गए थे. ऐसे झूठे आरोपों की वजह से जेल जाना तो छोटी सी चीज़ है
The CBI had previously called Sisodia for questioning on Feb 19, when the AAP leader, who is also Delhi's Finance Minister, sought a week's time for making Delhi Budget. The CBI agreed to his request.
Sisodia and others face corruption charges over the new liquor sale policy in the national capital.
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered the CBI probe last year.
Following this, the Delhi government reverted to the old liquor policy and blamed the Lieutenant Governor for the loss of revenue worth crores of rupees that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government claimed would have come if the new policy had continued.
The probe agency is investigating the Delhi Excise Policy which has handed over liquor shop licences to private players.
It had earlier raided Sisodia's residence for over 12 hours and 20 other locations across seven states.
The CBI alleges that liquor companies and middlemen were "actively involved in irregularities in the framing and implementation" of the excise policy.
The agency also claims "close associates of Sisodia - Amit Arora, Dinesh Arora and Arjun Pandey - collected "commission" from liquor licensees and delivered them to "the accused public servants".