Delhi excise policy case: Setback for Manish Sisodia as CBI custody extended till March 6 after bail plea gets deferred

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday extended by two days the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.

The agency had sough a three-day extension of Sisodia’s custody, claiming that he did not cooperate during the five-day custody since his arrest last Sunday.

Sisodia has been charged with criminal conspiracy and fraud under the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Dont ask Sisodia the same questions repeatedly, says court

Special CBI judge M K Nagpal of Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court also directed the CBI not to ask Sisodia the same questions repeatedly after the 51-year-old termed it “mental harassment”.

"They are not using third-degree. But sitting for eight to nine hours and answering the same questions again and again, that too is mental harassment," Sisodia said.

The court also fixed 2 pm of March 10 for the hearing of the bail application Sisodia had filed on Friday, asking the CBI to file a reply that day.

"No fruitful purpose"

No fruitful purpose would be served by keeping him in custody as all the recoveries have already been made and he will appear before the agency whenever he is called, Sisodia contended. That other accused in the case had been granted bail, he pointed out.

Sisodia's lawyer said the inefficiency of the agency to complete the probe cannot be ground for remand and he cannot be asked to incriminate himself. "Non-cooperation cannot be a ground for remand. They cannot say we will wait till he confesses. They should have completed the investigation. Their failure to complete investigation can't be a ground for remand," senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, appearing for Sisodia, said.

Sisodia, who resigned from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet after his arrest, moved the Rouse Avenue Court after the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud refused to entertain his bail application as he has remedies before the trial court or the Delhi High Court.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers held a demonstration before the CBI office and also the AAP headquarters demanding Sisodia’s release.