New Delhi: Delhi minister Atishi's coercion and evidence tampering allegations against the Enforcement Directorate have drawn a strong response from the Central agency, which has warned her with legal action, sources said. Top sources in the Enforcement Directorate told NDTV that the minister's allegations are "false, baseless and malicious".
"All statements of the accused persons were recorded under CCTV surveillance and supplied to the accused on demand. The footage has been given to the trial court," an official said on condition of anonymity.
The footage, the official added, has no audio since it was recorded with old technology. The audio recording of interrogation sessions was done separately and none of it has ever been removed by ED officials, sources added.
The CCTV systems in ED offices were modernised only in October 2023.
"You make baseless allegations daily to divert attention from the allegations against you by politicians," he said. In view of these allegations, the Enforcement Directorate may take serious legal action, officials said.
At a press conference earlier today, Ms Atishi alleged that the central agency coerces its witnesses in the alleged liquor scam to turn approver and presents doctored evidence in court.
"An accused submitted an application, seeking CCTV footage, because there was a difference between what was said during questioning and what was submitted in court. When ED provided the footage, there was no audio," she told reporters.
AAP, she added, has received information that ED deleted the audio from every interrogation session since the probe into Delhi liquor policy case started. "This proves everything is fake… There is a scam in the ED's probe," she said.
Under a Supreme Court order, interrogation sessions by any law enforcement agency have to be videographed and this applies to the ED too, she said.
The Enforcement Directorate, which has arrested several AAP leaders in connection with the alleged liquor scam -- including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia -- is conducting searches at the homes of other party leaders. Ms Atishi is on the list along with Mr Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar.