Delhi Excise Policy scam: In CBI’s first chargesheet, Sisodia not named; to be called for questioning soon

New Delhi: Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who has been under the scanner of investigating agencies for the capital’s liquor policy case has not been named in the initial chargesheet, officials said on Friday.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its first chargesheet against seven accused in the Delhi Excise Policy scam, probe agency officials said.

The seven people named in the chargesheet include two arrested businessmen, the head of a news channel, a Hyderabad-based liquor businessman, a Delhi-based liquor distributor and two officials of the excise department. The case pertaining to the liquor policy scam is still open and investigation to ascertain Sisodia’s role if any is still going on, according to probe agency officials.

Though Sisodia, who was listed as “Accused No 1” in the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR) filed in August, has not been named in the chargesheet, he will be summoned again for questioning soon, the officials said.

The CBI is probing allegations of serious violations in the Aam Aadmi Party government’s new liquor policy for the national capital, which was withdrawn within six months. As part of the now revoked policy, liquor shop licenses were given to private players, allegedly known to AAP leaders. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also filed a money-laundering case following the CBI investigation.

The deputy chief minister, who oversaw the liquor policy, was raided by probe agencies in August and also questioned by the CBI. He has, till date, refuted all allegations of corruption or any illegal activity in working out the liquor policy.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has accused the BJP at the Centre of using Central probe agencies to target its leaders ahead of the Delhi civic polls and the upcoming Gujarat assembly election, claiming that the AAP had begun to pose an electoral threat to the BJP in the polls.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has also said that the Centre plans to arrest his deputy– Sisodia soon as it resents his success in the field of education.

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