Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on Sunday. The CBI is investigating allegations of alleged fraud in Delhi’s liquor policy.

The investigation against Manish Sisodia had been going on for several months. On Sunday the CBI had called him for questioning and at seven at night the news came that he had been arrested.

The Aam Aadmi Party called Sisodia’s arrest a “dictatorship” and called Sunday a “black day for democracy.” The party said the arrest was carried out by the BJP due to political feud.

At the same time, BJP has justified the arrest of Sisodia.

Meanwhile, security arrangements have been tightened in the capital, Delhi. Rapid Action Force has been deployed outside the CBI headquarters.

After Sisodia’s arrest, the CBI released a statement saying that Sisodia was arrested during the investigation of the riot in enforcement of Delhi’s alcoholic beverages policy.

AAP and BJP face to face,Forehead

On the other hand, Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi and coordinator of the Aam Aadmi Party, has called Sisodia ‘innocent’. He has said that people are “very angry” and that he is watching.

He wrote: “Manish is innocent. His arrest is dirty politics. There is a lot of anger among the people because of Manish’s arrest. People are watching everything. The fight will only get stronger.”

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh wrote on Twitter: “Sisodia arrest is the end of dictatorship. You have done no good by arresting a good man and best education minister Modi ji, not even God will help you.” will forgive.One day your Modi ji dictatorship will surely end.

On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party has said that Sisodia had to be arrested, the next number is that of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

BJP leader Kapil Mishra said in a tweet: “I have been saying from the beginning that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain will go to jail, two of them have gone to jail, the next number is Kejriwal.”

Aam Aadmi party spokesman Raghav Chadha said in a tweet: “Jail locks will be broken, Manish Sisodia will be released.”

While on his way to the CBI office for questioning on Sunday, Manish Sisodia had said that he could be arrested today.

Before going for the interrogation, he took his mother’s blessings and also visited Rajghat, the tomb of Mahatma Gandhi.

Also in October, Sisodia was questioned by the CBI for around nine hours. The CBI is investigating the alleged excise scam against Sisodia.

The CBI had registered an FIR against Manish Sisodia and 14 others on August 19 last year. These included three civil servants, two companies, and nine businessmen, including the then excise commissioner.

The basis of the CBI investigation is the copy of the FIR registered by the agency on the basis of the report by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.

The investigative agency alleges that after the implementation of the new alcoholic beverage policy, there was a loss to the public purse. Along with this, the defendants in this case made arbitrary changes to the new alcoholic beverage policy with the intent to give an improper advantage to licensed alcoholic beverage vendors.

It was said in the FIR that Sisodia’s close associates Amit Arora, Dinesh Arora and Arjun Pandey, directors of Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd, used to take money from licensees and pass it on to defendants and government employees.

On 8 July 2022, Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar sent a report to Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena, Economic Crimes Wing, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.

This report is not in the public domain, but various media organizations such as Indian Express, Newslaundry have quoted reliable sources stating that Sisodia, being in charge of the Excise Department, has been accused of fraudulently collecting revenue through the new excise policy without Lieutenant Governor’s approval Profit claims have been made.

business license fee Rs 144.36 crore was exempted in

According to the report, at the time of Corona, liquor sellers approached the Delhi government for license fee waiver. The government granted a reduction of 24.02 percent in the license fee from December 28 to January 27.

“This caused undue benefit to the licensee, while causing a loss of around Rs 144.36 crore to the public treasury.”

Although, according to the officials, before any policy change is implemented, the Excise Department must first send it to the Cabinet and then to the Lieutenant Governor for permission. Any changes made without the permission of the cabinet and the lieutenant governor will be called illegal.

give an undue advantage to licensees

Manish Sisodia was accused of changing foreign liquor prices and providing undue benefits to license holders by removing the import duty of Rs 50 per beer.

The excise department returned Rs 30 crores to the company

Puducherry-based Pixie Enterprises Pvt Ltd had won the license rights to open 10 liquor vending machines in the airport area, but the company was unable to obtain a no-objection certificate from the airport authorities. The government returned the company Rs 30 crore deposited for the license offer.

It was said in the report that this is a violation of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010. If an applicant does not complete the formalities to get the license, they will lose their deposit amount.

Sisodia was accused of taking commission, this money was said to have been used in the Punjab assembly election.

Within 15 days of receiving the report, the lieutenant governor wrote a letter to the Home Office recommending a CBI investigation.

It was from here that the investigative organizations got involved in this whole matter and the matter began to take on a political color.

Amid general attacks, on July 30, 2022, Sisodia announced the withdrawal of the new excise policy.

In the year 2020, the Delhi government proposed a new liquor policy with the aim of cracking down on the liquor mafia and increasing revenue.

Delhi has been divided into 32 zones under the new excise policy. Of these, 30 were MCD, 1 NDMC and cantonment area, 1 Delhi airport zone. The liquor stores were arranged according to the area.

While 27 liquor stores would be opened per MCD area, 29 in NDMC and Cantonment and 10 in Delhi airport area.

The drinking age was lowered from 25 to 21 years.

Separating itself from the liquor business, the Delhi government handed over all stores into private hands.

– L1 (License Obtained for Wholesale of Indian Liquor) fee was Rs 5 crore, L7 (License Obtained for Retail of Indian Liquor in Private Sector) fee remained at Rs 11 .18 crores.

Instead of the mandatory MRP, the freedom was given to decide the price of the liquor itself.

– No new liquor store will open. Hotel bars, clubs and restaurants were allowed to stay open until 3am.

Many provisions of the new policy had not yet been implemented before the Chief Secretary submitted his report and the Delhi Alcoholic Beverage Policy was challenged.

September 04, 2020 Sisodia constituted a committee of experts under the chairmanship of Excise Commissioner Ravi Dhawan for suggestions related to the new alcoholic beverages policy.

October 13, 2020 The expert committee submitted its report to the Delhi government. The report was placed in the public domain. The government claimed that 14,761 people sent their suggestions to the government.

05 February2021 The Delhi government formed a Panel of Ministers under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain and Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot to undertake an in-depth study of all aspects of the then liquor policy, the report of the committee of experts, interested parties and public opinion.

March 22, 2021 The group headed by Sisodia presented its recommendations to the state cabinet. Approved the new excise tax policy.

April 15, 2021 – Sent to the then Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. Giving some suggestions, he advised the government to re-examine the policy and make appropriate amendments.

November 17, 2021 Following the suggestions, the Delhi government implemented the new excise policy.

July 8, 2022 – Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar has filed a report with Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, accusing Sisodia of giving undue favors to liquor license holders in exchange for “commissions” and ” bribes”. The Principal Secretary also submitted the report to the Economic Crimes Wing.

July 22, 2022 – The Lieutenant Governor wrote a letter to the Home Office recommending a CBI investigation.

July 30, 2022 Announcement to withdraw the new excise tax policy. Reimplemented the old alcoholic beverage policy for the next six months.

August 6, 2022 Lieutenant Governor Vinay Saxena suspended 11 excise officers from the Delhi Excise Department, including former excise commissioner Aarav Gopi Krishna, on charges of negligence in implementing the new excise policy.

17 August, 2022 – CBI registers FIR against Sisodia and 14 others. Also listed in these three officers, including the then Commissioner of Excise. They have been charged with criminal conspiracy and fraud.

August 19, 2022 – CBI raids on Sisodia’s house. A total of 21 locations in seven states were raided.

August 23, 2022 – The PTI news agency quoted its official sources as saying that the ED registered a money laundering case in Delhi’s excise policy.

September 28, 2022 Indospirit Managing Director Sameer Mahendru, Businessman and Aam Aadmi Party Official Vijay Nair Arrested by ED.

October 8, 2022 ED raided 35 locations including Delhi, Hyderabad and Punjab.

October 10, 2022 – CBI arrested liquor magnate Abhishek Boinpally.

February 26, 2023,CBI arrested Manish Sisodia after questioning him.