New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday extended, till March 22, the judicial custody of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, arrested in an excise policy case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Sisodia was produced before Special Judge M.K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court on the expiry of his previously extended judicial custody of 19 days.
On Tuesday, the CBI counsel told the court that the investigation was at a critical stage and releasing Sisodia on bail might impede the ongoing probe or lead to his evasion of justice.
The judge also reserved for March 22 his order on Sisodia’s application raising an objection to the commencement of arguments regarding the framing of charges. The judge had earlier also directed the CBI to submit a detailed status report on the case expressing concerns over incomplete disclosure about the probe’s status.
The central agency had also filed a report stating that the investigation is ongoing and at a crucial stage, with completion regarding the 16 charge-sheeted accused persons. However, the defence counsel had objected, citing incomplete status reports and the need for time to scrutinise translated documents received recently.
The court, recognising the complexity of the case, had directed the CBI to install necessary software in the laptops of defence counsel for efficient access to the voluminous case files.
Counsel for various accused individuals in the case expressed concerns regarding the accessibility of certain documents provided to them by the CBI. Complaining that these documents were not opening on their computers, the counsels sought recourse from the court to address the issue.
Responding to the concerns raised, the court granted them one week to visit the CBI office directly and view these documents. The CBI had submitted the status report to the court, presenting an update on the progress of the investigation. Notably, the report was presented in a sealed cover. The alleged excise policy scam is being probed by both the enforcement agencies – the Enforcement Directorate and CBI.
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