The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi has instructed the Delhi police to physically produce former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia during the next hearing in an alleged excise policy case. The special judge, M K Nagpal, made this decision while addressing the Delhi police’s request to have Sisodia appear via video conferencing due to security concerns. The judge ordered that Sisodia be brought physically before the court and specified that no public individuals or supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) should be allowed in the courtroom. Media personnel were also instructed to maintain a safe distance from the accused, and any violations of these instructions should be reported to the court by the lock-up in charge.
During the hearing of the CBI case, Sisodia had previously appeared via video conferencing but expressed his desire to be physically produced. The court questioned the counsel representing Sisodia about the police’s difficulty in bringing him to the court in person and raised concerns about potential incidents. Sisodia’s counsel argued that it was the duty of the police to protect him and questioned the security concerns surrounding his physical presence in the courtroom, as there was a short distance and a sufficient number of police personnel present. The court added that video conferencing was as effective as physical production but ultimately decided that Sisodia should be physically produced in the courtroom from the next hearing date.
The court also directed the CBI to provide copies of the main charge sheet to the accused named in the supplementary charge sheet and vice versa. Additionally, the agency was instructed to provide legible copies of documents to the accused. The case has been scheduled for July 31.
The CBI case pertains to allegations of irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy in Delhi. Manish Sisodia, along with three others, has been named in the supplementary charge sheet filed on April 25, which includes sections of the Prevention of Corruption (POC) Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, and disappearance of evidence under the IPC. Sisodia was arrested in this case on February 26 by the CBI. The CBI informed the court that they have obtained the necessary sanction under Section 19 of the PC Act to prosecute Sisodia, and the chargesheet includes the name of the then excise Commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna as a suspect.
The CBI investigation revealed that Sisodia admitted to destroying two phones he had used before July 2022. The last handset used by him was seized during the searches conducted in the case.
