The Delhi chief minister said that the “political pressure” to arrest his deputy was so high that they had to obey their “political masters”.
Arvind Kejriwal (File Photo: ANI)
A day after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that many officers of the Central probe agency were against the arrest.
The “political pressure” to arrest Sisodia was so high that they had to obey their “political masters”, he added.
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Manish Sisodia was arrested on Sunday in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor excise policy case after eight hours of questioning.
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“I am told that most CBI officers were against Manish’s arrest. All of them have huge respect for him and there is no evidence against him. But the political pressure to arrest him was so high that they had to obey their political masters,” the chief minister said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, justifying the move in a statement released on Sunday, the CBI on said claimed that the deputy chief minister was giving evasive replies and wasn’t cooperating in the ongoing investigation in the liquor scam case.
The agency further said that Sisodia had been summoned earlier on February 19 in connection with the ongoing probe, but he had sought a week’s time citing the Delhi Budget.
“The deputy CM was issued a notice under section 41A of CrPC for attending the investigation on February 19, 2023. However, he sought time of one week citing his preoccupation,” the CBI stated.
Accepting his request, he was issued a notice – u/s 41A CrPC – to report to the agency on February 26 and answer questions he ‘evaded’ during his examination on October 17, 2022, and further questions relating to his ‘incriminating role’ based on evidence collected during investigation of the case.
“However, he gave evasive replies and did not co-operate the investigation despite being confronted with evidence to the contrary. Therefore, he has been arrested,” the statement read.
“The arrested accused will be produced before the designated court in Delhi,” it added.
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