Delhi liquor 'scam': Manish Sisodia's ED custody extended by 5 days

ED custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who was arrested in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy, had been extended by five days by a court here on Friday.

Special judge M K Nagpal heard the case and prolonged Sisodia's detention till March 22. The ED requested an additional seven days to keep Sisodia in detention.

Outside and within the Rouse Avenue Court building, heavy security measures were implemented.

The Enforcement Directorate claimed in court that key evidence had surfaced while Sisodia was in detention and that he needed to testify against the other defendants. Among them were Rahul Singh, Dinesh Arora, and Amit Arora, all formerly of the Department of Excise.

The ED further said that the ex-Delhi Deputy Chief Minister had to face his former C Arvind. Arvind C. is not a suspect in this scenario.

The investigation agency informed the court that it is forensically analysing large amounts of data found on Sisodia's email, mobile phone, and other devices.

Sisodia's solicitor argued against the ED's motion by pointing out that the ED has been silent on a crucial issue: the criminal proceeds. Sisodia said that there was no need to keep him in jail for an additional week since he had only been in contact with four persons during his first week.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) apprehended Sisodia on March 9 when he was incarcerated in Tihar for his involvement in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation involving allegations of corruption in the creation and execution of the abandoned Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. On February 26, agents from the CBI detained Sisodia.

(With inputs from PTI)