Delhi Excise policy: AAP demands apology for 'defaming' ex-Delhi Dy CM
New Delhi, May 08: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has demanded an apology from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly defaming former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, over the excise policy case. Delhi Minister Atishi claimed that the court has stated in its order that there is no evidence to substantiate or corroborate the alleged corruption.
She alleged that pressure was put on people to give false statements. Atishi also said that BJP leaders should apologise to the nation for peddling lies for defaming Manish Sisodia.
आज पूरे देश के सामने एक बार फिर भाजपा और ED के झूठ के पुलिंदे धराशायी हो गए।
कथित शराब घोटाले में इनका हर आरोप कोर्ट में बोगस निकला। साफ़ है, अनपढ़ों की जमात, झूठों की जमात भी है।#SharabGhotalaJhoothaHai pic.twitter.com/2OBPbjtl5p — Atishi (@AtishiAAP) May 7, 2023
Addressing a press conference, Atishi said that there were two major allegations against Sisodia. The first allegation was that Rs 100 crore was received as a bribe, and the second allegation was that the amount was spent on Goa elections. She said that the Rouse Avenue court order, through which two people got bail, made it clear that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have no evidence of the corruption of even one rupee. The judge repeatedly said in the 86-page order that there is no evidence.
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Atishi claimed that the Rouse Avenue court has stated in the order that there is no specific evidence to show the corruption. The first allegation was that Rs 100 crore was given to AAP through kickbacks. BJP, as well as ED and CBI, were alleging that among those giving kickbacks was present businessman Gautam Malhotra.
Atishi added that there is no specific evidence showing any such cash evidence of bribe or repayment of kickbacks. The only evidence presented has been some vague statements by witnesses, and on the basis of these statements, it cannot be inferred that cash payments were given as bribes.
Atishi further alleged that ED had earlier mentioned Rs 100 crore, but later stated the amount as Rs 30 crore in the chargesheet. The second allegation was that the bribe money was used for Goa elections. But, after conducting raids for six months, the court said that only Rs 19 lakh was spent through cash, and the rest was spent through cheque.
Atishi demanded that the BJP leaders should do a press conference and apologize to the nation for peddling lies for defaming Manish Sisodia. She also said that the party will be appealing for Manish Sisodia's bail. Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is in jail over alleged irregularities in the excise case.
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Sisodia was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy in Delhi. The CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26 this year, and later on March 9, the ED arrested him, after hours of questioning at Tihar Jail.
The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced, and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their account books to evade detection, the probe agencies said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 4 filed a Supplementary charge sheet against former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi Excise policy case. The CBI has already filed the charge sheet in the matter.
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- ANI
