New Delhi: Manish Sisodia, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who was detained in a money laundering case involving the Delhi excise policy, had his ED detention extended by five days by a court here on Friday .
After having Sisodia appear before him, special judge M K Nagpal decided to keep him in detention until March 22. The ED requested an additional seven days to keep Sisodia in detention.
Extensive security measures were taken both in and around the Rouse Avenue Court building.
The Enforcement Directorate said that while in detention, Sisodia had learned critical information and needed to face other accused persons. They included Rahul Singh, Dinesh Arora, and Amit Arora, all formerly of the excise commission.
The ED further said that the former Delhi deputy chief minister had to face his former secretary, C Arvind. Arvind C. is not a suspect in this scenario.
Investigators have informed the court that they are forensically analysing large amounts of data found on Sisodia's electronic devices, including his email, mobile phone, and other gadgets.
To counter the ED's argument, Sisodia's attorney said that the agency has been silent on a crucial issue: the criminal proceeds. According to Sisodia, there's no reason to extend his seven-day detention because he was only subjected to four persons during that time.
In connection with a case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into allegations of corruption in the creation and execution of the cancelled Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, the ED detained Sisodia on March 9 when he was incarcerated at the Tihar jail. On February 26th, agents from the CBI nabbed Sisodia.—Inputs from Agencies