The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday was at the Punjab National Bank’s Ghaziabad branch to examine Delhi Deputy Chief minister Manish Sisodia’s bank locker in connection with the excise policy row.
To avoid any untoward incident, during CBI’s presence, heavy police personnel were deployed outside the bank where Sisodia was also present alongwith his wife.
Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Sisodia had said, “CBI didn’t find anything during raid at my home. They won’t find anything in lockers too. We are ready for it and are giving support to the CBI.”
The CBI team reached the PNB’s Ghaziabad branch at around 11.30 a.m. The examination of the bank locker was a part of the investigation. The CBI will have to mention this in the charge sheet.
The CBI has made Sisodia accused number one in its FIR in the excise police case. The CBI’s FIR has been lodged under sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 477-A (Falsification of accounts) of the IPC.
The allegations against Sisodia was that the liquor businessmen were allegedly given exemption of Rs 30 crore. The licence holders were allegedly given extension according to their own will. The policy rules were made by violating excise rules.
“Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise), Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise), and Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise) were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licencees post tender,” read the FIR, which has been accessed by IANS.
(With inputs from IANS)