Excise case: Sisodia seeks time from CBI to appear for questioning

PTI, Feb 19, 2023, 11:56 AM IST

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday sought time from the CBI to appear for questioning in connection with the Delhi Excise policy scam case, citing the ongoing budget exercise of the city government.

Officials said the central probe agency is considering Sisodia’s request.

Sisodia charged that the BJP was using the probe agency to take ”revenge” on him and expressed apprehension that he would be arrested. Three months after a charge sheet was filed in the matter, the deputy chief minister was asked by the agency to come for questioning on Sunday.

Sisodia, who is also the Finance Minister of the Delhi Government, said he would be available for questioning after a week. ”I have written to the CBI and asked for time for February last week as I am finalising the budget of Delhi and it is a crucial time. I have told them that I will come after the last week of February,” he told reporters.

It’s my duty as finance minister to present the budget on time and I have been working 24 hours for it. I have requested the CBI to allow me to come after the last week of February and answer all their questions, he told reporters.

Referring to the apex court ordering issuance of a notice for convening the first meeting of the civic body to fix the date of elections for the MCD mayor, the AAP leader told PTI, ”The BJP lost elections and then they lost again on Friday in the Supreme Court. So this is their revenge”. ”They are using the CBI to take revenge and I am sure they will do that by getting me arrested,” he charged.

”I have always cooperated with the CBI and ready to do again but I am just seeking time as I am finalising the budget and if I go now, the budget will suffer and the people of Delhi will suffer,” he said.

Maintaining that he was not scared of getting arrested or going to jail, Sisodia said he ”just wants time to finish the budget and I have all answers to the questions of the CBI”. The deputy chief minister in the Aam Aadmi Party government, who also held the charge of the Excise department, was earlier questioned on October 17 last year and his home and bank lockers were also searched in connection with the case. The AAP leader has not been named as an accused in the charge sheet as the investigation against him and other suspects is still going on.