Manish Sisodia called for questioning by CBI in Delhi Excise Policy case

It is alleged the Delhi govt's policy to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by AAP

The CBI has called Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday for questioning in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case nearly three months after filing the charge sheet in the case, officials said.

Sisodia has not been named as accused in the charge sheet as the investigation against him and other suspects is still going on, they said.

The Deputy Chief Minister in the Aam Aadmi Party government, who also held the charge of the Excise department, was earlier questioned on October 17 last year and his home and bank lockers were also searched in connection with the case.

"The further investigation in the case regarding the money trail and the larger conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 is still in progress," an official said.

In a tweet, Sisodia said nothing was found against him during searches, and he would continue cooperating in the investigation.

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"CBI has called again tomorrow. They have used the full power of CBI, ED against me, raided my house, searched bank locker, but nothing was found against me," Sisodia said.

Apparently referring to the centre, he said that the CBI has been made to go after him because "they" want to stop him from doing "good work" on the education of the children in Delhi.

"They want to stop me. I have always cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so," he said.

The CBI is now focussed on the alleged influence of a "South Lobby" of businessmen and politicians in formulating and implementing Delhi liquor policy to swing it in their favour using middlemen, liquor traders, and public servants, CBI said.

Arrested businessmen Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally were among the seven accused in the charge sheet filed on November 25 last year.

It is alleged the Delhi government's policy to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.

"It was further alleged that irregularities were committed including modifications in Excise Policy, extending undue favours to the licensees, waiver/reduction in licence fee, extension of L-1 license without approval etc.

"It was also alleged that illegal gains on the count of these acts were diverted to concerned public servants by private parties by making false entries in their books of accounts," a CBI spokesperson had said.

Recently, the CBI arrested Butchibabu Gorantla, a former Chartered Accountant of K Kavitha, a BRS MLC in Telangana and a daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

It is alleged that Babu had met several accused named in the FIR in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai and was one of the prime negotiators from the South Lobby, which wanted to swing the now scrapped excise policy for 2021-22 in its favour.

The CBI had also questioned Kavitha in connection with the case in December last year.

During its probe, the CBI had found evidence that Babu acted on behalf of the South Lobby comprising the Telangana MLC, YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and Aurobindo Pharma's P Sarat Chandra Reddy.