Delhi Court Reserves Order on CBI Supplementary Charge Sheet Against Sisodia
A Delhi court has reserved its order regarding the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) supplementary charge sheet against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other government officials in an excise case.
The CBI had filed its supplementary charge sheet in the case on March 8, 2021, alleging that Sisodia and other officials, including Aakash Kumar, who is the CEO of the Delhi government’s Dialogue and Development Commission, had conspired to illegally grant liquor licenses to several companies.
The court had earlier directed the CBI to file a supplementary charge sheet in the case by April 12, 2021.
During the hearing on May 10, 2021, the CBI informed the court that Sisodia and the other officials implicated in the case had shown no “mala fide” intent in granting liquor licenses.
The CBI also told the court that it had found no evidence of personal gains or financial transactions related to the case, but maintained that the granting of licenses was done in violation of existing excise rules.
Sisodia has denied all the allegations against him and accused the CBI of conducting a “political witch-hunt” against him and his government.
The case is significant as it comes amid a bitter political battle between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.
The BJP has accused the AAP government of corruption and misgovernance in Delhi, while the AAP has accused the BJP of using the CBI and other central agencies to target its leaders.
The case also highlights the issue of corruption and malpractices in the grant of liquor licenses, which has been a long-standing problem in many Indian states.
According to a report by the Centre for Media Studies, a New Delhi-based think tank, the revenue loss to the exchequer due to illegal liquor sales in India stood at over $10 billion in 2019-20.
The report also noted that corruption and mismanagement in the liquor industry were major factors contributing to the problem.
The Delhi court’s order on the CBI’s supplementary charge sheet against Sisodia is eagerly awaited by both the AAP and the BJP, as it could have far-reaching implications for the political landscape in Delhi and beyond.