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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday told a court here that former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had planted fabricated emails to create the impression that there was public approval for the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy.
Mr. Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 over alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the liquor policy. Based on the CBI case, ED initiated a money laundering probe and arrested nine persons, including Mr. Sisodia. The senior AAP leader has been charged by ED with conspiracy and active involvement in the formulation of the policy in lieu of kickbacks.
“We have evidence that Sisodia had planted the emails. These have been received not only in the official email account of the Excise Department but even in his personal email account,” ED’s counsel said, opposing the bail plea of the former Minister before special judge M.K. Nagpal.
‘To suit his agenda’
The ED counsel, Zoheb Hossain, added that the content of the purported emails, “which suited his agenda”, was provided by Mr. Sisodia.
Mr. Hossain alleged that the directions to send these pre-drafted emails were given to the then Chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission, Zakir Khan.
“Fabricated emails were sent to show that there was public approval for the policy. This is a sham approval... An illegal ecosystem was created to give benefits to the liquor cartels in lieu of kickbacks,” the ED counsel said.
The ED’s counsel also offered to show the case diary to the judge.
‘No sealed covers’
Objecting to this, Mr Sisodia’s counsel, Vivek Jain, said, “Sealed cover business should go. If something is used against me to deny me my liberty... If they are relying on something behind my back... It should be put to me as well.”
To this, the ED counsel said that the agency will show the case diary to Mr. Sisodia at the end of 60 days, which a probe agency gets after arresting an accused to complete the investigation.
The judge adjourned the matter for April 18.
On April 5, ED told the court that its probe into the money laundering case against Mr. Sisodia was at a “crucial” stage and it had found fresh evidence of his complicity in the alleged scam.
However, the probe agency has not named the senior AAP leader as an accused in the three chargesheets filed in the court so far.
