Delhi Court Extends Manish Sisodia’s CBI Custody Till April 3 In Excise Scam

The CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26 after which the ED also arrested the AAP leader in the same case. Presently, he is lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail. 

Manish Sisodia’s CBI Custody Extended: A Delhi Court on Monday extended jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody till April 3 in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case. Earlier, Sisodia’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody was extended till March 22 in the same case. The CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26 after which the ED also arrested the AAP leader in the same case. Presently, he is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.

The court will also hear Sisodia’s bail application on Tuesday, in the same case being probed by the CBI.

During the court hearing for the ED case, the probe agency had apprised that several important details have come up during Sisodia’s custody and he had to confront other accused persons. The agency claimed that they were scanning through Sisodia’s phone and emails and these data will be forensically analysed. Sisodia was also accused of evidence tampering as the agency said he tried to destroy evidence by changing phones.

“Within a span of one year, 14 phones have been destroyed and changed,” the agency claimed.

“Sisodia has used phones purchased by others and SIM cards that are not in his name so that he can use it as a defence later. Even the phone used by him is not in his name,” the ED counsel had submitted.

However, Sisodia’s counsel told the court that so far the probe agency has failed to give any evidence that proves there were any proceeds of crime, which is essential to this case.

His lawyer had further contended that there is no justification for seeking an extension of custody and that Sisodia was confronted only with four people during his earlier custody of seven days.