Delhi excise policy scam: 'Yeh kya nautanki hai Modi ji', asks Sisodia after CBI issues Look out Circular against him

New Delhi: "Yeh kya nautanki hai Modi ji? (What is this drama, Modi ji?)" asks Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia moments after Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him by the CBI in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy scam.

Reacting to the LOC issued to him, Sisodia attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a tweet in Hindi, the Delhi deputy CM said: "All your earlier raids failed, nothing was found. Now, you have issued a look out notice that Manish Sisodia is not to being found . What is this drama, Modi ji? I am roaming freely in Delhi, tell me where to come? I can't find you?"

आपकी सारी रेड फैल हो गयी, कुछ नहीं मिला, एक पैसे की हेरा फेरी नहीं मिली, अब आपने लुक आउट नोटिस जारी किया है कि मनीष सिसोदिया मिल नहीं रहा। ये क्या नौटंकी है मोदी जी?
मैं खुलेआम दिल्ली में घूम रहा हूँ, बताइए कहाँ आना है? आपको मैं मिल नहीं रहा?

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 21, 2022

He further said, "It's unfortunate that PM Modi keeps thinking against whom should a CBI 'Look Out Circular' be issued today."

"Today, the country is looking for a leader who can give solutions to inflation, unemployment. The public will give a 'look out notice' to them in 2024," news agency ANI quoted the Delhi deputy chief minister as saying.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday issued Look Out Circular (LOC) against Sisodia and 12 other accused named in the Delhi Excise Policy scam. All of them were named in the FIR filed by the probe agency in the case.

Sisodia has now also been prohibited from traveling abroad.

Don't Miss: Excise Policy Scam: CBI issues 'Look Out Circular' against 13 accused including Manish Sisodia

It is worth mentioning that the lookout notice comes a day after Sisodia criticised the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misusing the central agencies against AAP because its work in the education and health sector is being discussed globally.

The deputy CM further claimed that the Centre wanted to stop AAP supreme and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal because it sees him as the main challenger to PM Modi in the 2024 general election.

The CBI on Friday raided 31 locations including Sisodia's residence in connection with the irregularities in the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22.

The agency has also named two companies in the FIR. The searches on Friday came after Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena last month recommended a probe by the agency into the alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses in the implementation of the policy that came into effect from 17 November, 2021.

In July this year, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government withdrew the policy after LG Saxena recommended the probe.

What is Delhi Excise policy scam?

The FIR registered by the CBI in the case mentions that Sisodia and other public servants accused in the case took decisions related to the excise policy 2021-22 without the concent of competent authority with "an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post tender".

The FIR further stated that at least two payments in crores were allegedly made to "close associates" of Sisodia by Sameer Mahendru, the owner of Indospirit. Notably, Mahendru is one of the liquor traders who is allegedly involved in irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy.

The CBI on Saturday summoned some of the accused in the case for a detailed interrogation and it turned out that some appeared to be close aides of Sisodia.

The FIR also alleged that Sisodia's "close associates" Amit Arora, director of Buddy Retail Pvt. Limited in Gurugram, Dinesh Arora and Arjun Pandey were "actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantage collected from liquor licensees" for the accused public servants.

What is LOC and why is it issued?

The Look out Circular, or LOC, is issued to make sure that a person who is absconding or wanted by law enforcement agencies is not able to leave the country.

The notice is mostly used at immigration checkpoints by the immigration branch at international airports and seaports.

In some cases, the police can approach a court asking for imposing restriction on a person’s movement outside the country, when he/she is a suspect and there is a possibility that he/she might not join the investigation at a later stage.

With inputs from agencies

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