Central Bureau of Investigation has registered an FIR against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 14 others in connection with an alleged excise policy case.
Excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers along with unknown public servants and private persons have too been booked in the case.
The aforementioned facts prima facie disclose the commission of offences punishable under section 120-B, 477A IPC and section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 (As amended in 2018).
A total of 15 persons have been named in the FIR including Sisodia for criminal conspiracy, falsification of account and undue advantage.
Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise), Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise), Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise), Vijay Nair, former CEO, Only Much Louder, an entertainment andevent management company, Manoj Rai, Ex-Employee of Pernod Ricard, Amandeep Dhal, Director, Brindco Sales Pvt. Ltd, Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director, lndospirit Group have been mentioned in the FIR copy.
Other names which are included in the FIR are Amit Arora, Director, Buddy Retail Private Limited, Buddy Retail Private Limited, Dinesh Arora, Mahadev Liqours, Sunny Marwah, Authorised Signatory, Arun Ramchandra Pilla, and Arjun Pandey.
Other known public servants and public persons have also been mentioned in the FIR.
Meanwhile, according to a CBI official, searches were conducted in seven States and a Union Territory, including the premises of former Delhi Excise Commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna under whose tenure, the revamped Excise Policy was approved.
Sisodia had in a tweet this morning said that CBI officials had arrived at his residence and had begun searches. "CBI has arrived. We are honest, building a future for lakhs of children.
Unfortunate that in this country, whoever does good work is hassled just like this, that is why our country is still not number-1," the deputy chief minister tweeted.
Earlier today, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "CBI is welcome. We will give full cooperation. Searches took place earlier too, but nothing was found. Nothing will be found now too."
The Delhi CM stated that CBI has raided Sisodia's residence on the day when the picture of the Delhi Model and Sisodia appeared on the front page of America's biggest newspaper- New York Times.
On July 30, Sisodia announced a rollback of the Excise Policy stating that only government outlets would sell liquor in Delhi from August 1.
( With inputs from ANI )
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