CBI summons Sisodia in Delhi excise policy scam

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to join the probe in the excise policy scam at its Headquarters here on Monday by 11 a.m.

The CBI has made Sisodia the accused number one in its FIR.

Soon after receiving the summon, Sisodia took to Twitter to criticize the agency.

"They conducted 14 hours raid at my house, they didn't find anything. They searched my locker nothing was found from there too. They went to my village but returned empty handed. Now they have called me to join the investigation. I will go to the CBI's headquarters to record my statement. I will be there by 11 am. I will cooperate," Sisodia tweeted.

The FIR was lodged under sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 477-A (Falsification of accounts) of the IPC. The allegation against Sisodia is that liquor businessmen were allegedly given an exemption of Rs 30 crore. The licence holders were allegedly given extension according to their own will. New policy rules were made by violating the excise rules.

It also said that Sisodia and a few liquor barons were actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantage collected from the liquor licensees to the public servants, who also have been accused in the case.

"Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise), Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise), and Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise) were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to the excise policy for the year 2021-22 without approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensee post tender," read the FIR, which has been accessed by IANS.

The CBI has so far made two arrests in the case. Last Monday, the agency arrested Hyderabad-based Abhishek Boinpally in the case.

Boinpally's name cropped up during the course of the investigation. He was called to join the investigation in Delhi, but he was not cooperating in the questioning and was allegedly trying to mislead the CBI.

Boinpally was not named in the FIR," said the source.

Vijay Nair, the Jor Bagh-based businessman in Delhi, was the first one to be arrested by the CBI. Later, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sameer Mahendru, who is an alleged associate of Nair.