A Delhi court on Wednesday sent former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to 14-day judicial custody in a money laundering case arising out of the excise policy matter. Special Judge M K Nagpal sent the senior AAP leader to jail till April 5 after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) produced him on conclusion of his custodial interrogation in the matter.The anti-money laundering probe agency has so far quizzed Sisodia for seven days in its custody in the matter. On Tuesday, the special court deferred the hearing to March 25 on the bail plea of Sisodia in the main case being probed by the CBI. The CBI on February 26 arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The ED arrested Sisodia on March 9 in Tihar jail, where he was lodged in connection with the case being probed by the CBI. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that Delhiites were “missing” Manish Sisodia on the day of the budget presentation, and asserted that the work started by the former minister will be carried on at double the speed.
This time the budget was presented by Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot, who was given charge of the finance department after the resignation of deputy chief minister Sisodia. Sisodia, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, had been presenting the AAP government’’s budget ever since the party came to power in Delhi.