The second round of grilling by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to senior AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was began at the Tihar, Delhi on Thursday.
The probe agency is questioning Sisodia in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy.
The federal probe agency had recorded the statement of the 51-year-old AAP leader for the first time on March 7 for about five hours.
Sisodia is currently lodged in judicial custody after the CBI arrested him on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor or excise policy for 2021-22.
The ED obtained a local court's permission to question the politician, who till recently was the deputy CM of Delhi, in the cell number 1 of the jail.
The agency is expected to question him about the alleged change and destruction of cellphones that were in his possession and the policy decisions and the timeline followed by him as the excise minister of Delhi.
These charges were made by it in its charge sheets filed before the court.
It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers, who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.
The policy was later scrapped and the Delhi L-G recommended a CBI probe following which the ED booked a case against the same accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
AAP Vs BJP over life threat to Sisodia
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday slammed the AAP over its charge that Manish Sisodia has been kept with dangerous criminals which posed life threat to AAP leader in Tihar jail.
Hitting out at the AAP, Manoj Tiwari said, "Delhi jails come under Delhi government, that means Arvind Kejriwal. Manish Sisodia knows a lot of secrets of Arvind Kejriwal. How can his own aide Manish Sisodia have a threat to life inside jail? Is Arvind Kejriwal conspiring against Manish Sisodia?"
"Is Arvind Kejriwal conspiring to kill Manish Sisodia to stop him from disclosing Arvind Kejriwal’s secrets? An impression is being created that Manish Sisodia has threats from BJP. I appeal to jail authorities to provide Manish Sisodia best security possible," Manoj Tiwari said.
(With PTI input)
