The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday conducted extensive raids and searches in 21 locations Delhi–NCR, including the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in an alleged excise policy violation case. The CBI registered FIR against Sisodia, who also handles the Excise Department, and 14 others, including excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers and private persons for criminal conspiracy, falsification of accounts and undue advantage.
Apart from Sisodia, the FIR has Arva Gopi Krishna, the then commissioner (excise), Anand Tiwari, the then deputy commissioner (excise), Pankaj Bhatnagar, assistant commissioner (excise), Vijay Nair, former CEO, Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company, Manoj Rai, ex-employee of Pernod Ricard, Amandeep Dhal, director of Brindco Sales and Sameer Mahendru, managing director of lndospirit Group, as accused.
Other names included in the FIR are Amit Arora, director of Buddy Retail, Dinesh Arora of Mahadev Liqours, Sunny Marwah, Arun Ramchandra Pillai and Arjun Pandey. Other known public servants and public persons have also been mentioned in the FIR.
Meanwhile, according to a CBI official, searches were conducted in seven states and a Union Territory, including the premises of former Delhi Excise Commissioner Krishna, under whose tenure the revamped excise policy was approved. “Raids are going on at 21 places in Delhi and NCR, including the residence of Manish Sisodia and premises of four public servants in the Excise Policy case,” the official said
Sisodia had in a tweet this morning said that CBI officials had arrived at his residence and had begun search. “CBI has arrived. We are honest, building a future for lakhs of children. Unfortunate that in this country, whoever does good work is hassled just like this, that is why our country is still not number-1,” the deputy chief minister said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stated that CBI has raided Sisodia’s residence on the day when the picture of the Delhi Model and Sisodia appeared on the front page of America’s biggest newspaper, the New York Times.
On July 30, Sisodia announced a rollback of the Excise Policy stating that only government outlets would sell liquor in Delhi from August 1.
Earlier in July, Lt Governor VK Saxena had recommended a CBI probe into Delhi’s revamped excise policy. He approved the suspension of 11 officials over “lapses” in the implementation of the Excise Policy 2021–22. The suspended officials included Krishna and deputy excise commissioner Anand Kumar Tiwari.
