Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, arrested in the liquor excise policy by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Monday was sent to judicial custody till March 20. He was produced at the Rouse Avenue court, reported ANI.
At the hearing, the CBI said that they are not seeking further remand. ” At this stage, we are not seeking further CBI remand but in the next 15 days we might seek it,” the CBI counsel said.
The CBI had arrested the senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader on February 26 in the case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of 2021-22 of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).
After his five-day CBI custody ended, he was produced at the Rouse Avenue court on Saturday, where special judge MK Nagpal granted CBI his custody for two more days.
During the hearing, Sisodia told the court that he was subjected to several hours of CBI questioning, which was “mental harassment”.
“Every day from 8 am they keep asking the same questions… It is mental harassment. They don’t have anything in documents, only in statements,” Sisodia told the court. He also mentioned about the court’s directive to ensure that he is not subjected to third-degree measures during the CBI questioning, and said, “Last time my lawyer mentioned this word, they said third degree. They (CBI) respect us. But 8-10 hours sitting, same questions on repeat is third degree only. It is mental harassment.”
Sisodia has applied for bail which will be taken up by the court on Friday.
After his arrest, the Delhi minister, who held 18 of the 33 government portfolios, had tendered his resignation on February 28. Along with Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, also resigned from the Cabinet. Their posts in the Delhi Cabinet, which must have seven members, including the CM, were filled by AAP MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj.