Excise Policy Scam: CBI summons Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia for questioning on October 17

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 17 summoned Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, for questioning in connection with the matter involving the Delhi excise policy.
 
Sisodia is one of the 15 suspects the agency named in its First Information Report (FIR) filed on August 17 citing several irregularities in the creation and application of the excise policy that has since been revoked.

Earlier, the CBI had conducted searches across Delhi, including Sisodia's official residence, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Bengaluru in their consecutive operation. 

Based on its conclusions, the investigation agency detained Vijay Nair, the former CEO of Mumbai-based Only Much Louder and coordinator of the Aam Aadmi Party's communication. 

Abhishek Boinpally, a businessman in the liquor industry and a friend of co-accused Arun Ramchandra Pillai, was also detained.

Manish Sisodia tweeted in response to the developments, "CBI raid was conducted at my house for 14 hours, nothing came out, searched my bank locker, nothing came out in it. They did not find anything in my village. Now they have called me to CBI Headquarters at 11 am tomorrow. I will go and give my full cooperation. Satyameva Jayate"

The ED is conducting a money laundering investigation based on the CBI case and has already investigated 130 locations across several states. It has also taken testimonies from multiple witnesses and arrested liquor industry executive Sameer Mahendru, managing director of the Indospirit Group, who is one of the defendants in the FIR.

It is claimed that he transferred Rs 1,000,000 to Radha Industries, which is run by co-accused Dinesh Arora, and that he sent money to Pillai to give to Nair, who then gave it to a public worker.

For Nair, another accused, Arjun Pandey, obtained between Rs 2 crore to Rs 4 crore from Mahendru.