A Delhi Court on Monday remanded Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to CBI custody till March 4 in the Delhi excise policy case.
Special CBI Judge MK Nagpal agreed to CBI's request for five days custody to question Sisodia.
Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan who is representing Sisodia said that he has been cooperating with the agency in probe. "Someone is not willing to say something you want to hear is no ground for remand," he said before the judge.
Krishnan also submitted that remands aren't an empty formality and that the court needs to apply its mind and see if mandate of Section 41 and Section 41A CrPC has been followed or not by the central agency.
Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur, who is also appearing for Sisodia said, "There were suggestions given by LG. Those were incorporated in policy before it came into force. It required discussions and deliberations. When there are discussions and deliberations, there is no room for conspiracy.”
Another Senior Advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, who also represented Sisodia, questioned the timing of the arrest and said the minister has to present the budget. He said, "This case is assault to an individual as well as the institution. Remand will send a message ... this is a fit case for declining remand.”
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was on Sunday arrested after eight-hours of interrogation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in the liquor policy scam.
Before leaving for the CBI office, Manish Sisodia told supporters, “Even if I am in jail for seven to eight months, don't feel sorry for me, be proud. PM Modi is afraid of Arvind Kejriwal, so he wants to frame me in a fake case. You should fight on. My wife, who has stood by me from Day 1, is unwell and alone at home. Take care of her. And I want to tell children of Delhi, Study hard and listen to your parents.”
