Manish Sisodia has been denied bail in a money laundering case
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's bail request in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor policy matter has been denied by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court.
The special court's judge MK Nagpal, while denying bail to Mr Sisodia, said the investigation is at such a stage that it doesn't merit granting bail.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed Mr Sisodia's request for bail, saying the investigation was at a "crucial" stage. The ED alleged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader fabricated emails to show the public had approved the new liquor policy for the national capital.
Mr Sisodia's bail request was last denied on March 31 in the alleged corruption case being investigated by the CBI. The central agency alleged Mr Sisodia was "prima facie the architect" in a conspiracy to take kickbacks of some Rs 90-100 crore from a liquor lobby.
The court had then said Mr Sisodia's release would "adversely affect the ongoing investigation".
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had ordered the CBI probe last year.
Thereafter, the Delhi government reverted to the old liquor policy and blamed the Lieutenant Governor for loss of revenue worth crores of rupees that the AAP government claimed would have come if the new policy had continued.
The CBI is also focusing on what it claimed was the alleged influence of a "south lobby" of businessmen and politicians in making the Delhi liquor policy to swing it in their favour using middlemen, traders and bureaucrats.
The CBI arrested Butchibabu Gorantla, a former chartered accountant of K Kavitha, leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. Ms Kavitha was also questioned in the case.