Excise 'scam': Manish Sisodia's judicial custody extended till May 28

A Delhi court, on Saturday, extended the judicial custody of AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case related to alleged excise scam till May 28.

Sisodia, who was produced before the court on the expiry of his judicial custody, said before the media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be able to stop Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's work in Delhi.

"Modi ji may try as much as he wants, but he won't be able to stop the work of Kejriwal ji in Delhi. Modi ji may conspire as much as he wants," Sisodia said while he was being brought out of the courtroom after the judge pronounced the order.

On Friday, the court dismissed the bail plea of Sisodia, saying "the case of economic offences has serious repercussions upon the general public and society at large as the evidence collected during investigation speaks volumes of his involvement in the commission of the said offence".

Special Judge M.K. Nagpal denied the relief to Sisodia, saying the prosecution was able to show a genuine and prima facie case for Sisodia's involvement in commission of the alleged offence of money laundering.

The court denied the relief noting the "serious nature of allegations made and role played by Sisodia in the criminal conspiracy, his connection with the activities relating to generation or acquisition and use etc. of the proceeds of crime...and the oral and documentary evidence collected in support of the same."

"Hence, this court is not inclined to grant bail to the applicant in this case of economic offences having serious repercussions upon the general public and society at large as the evidence collected during investigation speaks volumes of his involvement in commission of the said offence," the judge said.

The ED, on March 9, arrested former Sisodia in the liquor policy case.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI earlier in its ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).

He is currently in judicial custody in both cases.