Was former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia manhandled by cops? Delhi Police clarify

In avideo shared by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal,it appears that former Delhi minister Manish Sisodiais being manhandled by the police. However,Delhi Police issued a clarification on the matter on Tuesday. Sisodia was at the Rouse Avenue Court where the media was asking him questions on the Delhi ordinance.

Delhi Police defended the action of the cop who was seen putting his arm around Sisodia, sayingthatit is against the law for an accused to issue media statements while in judicial custody.

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Sharing the video on his official Twitter account, Delhi Minister Atishi wrote, "Do Delhi police have the right to misbehave with Manish ji like this? Have the cops been instructed to do this by powers above?”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha also said, “This is how Delhi Police controlled by the BJP Centretreats India’s best education minister. Strongly condemn this manhandling. The nation is watching.”

Delhi Police was also swift to respond, "The talk of police misbehaviour with Mr Manish Sisodia at the time of production in Rouse Avenue Court is propaganda. The police response as seen in the video was imperative from a security point of view. It is against the law to issue statements to the media by the accused in judicial custody”.

Sisodia was brought to the court on Tuesday where his judicial custody was extended till June 1. The judge also directed the jail authorities to consider providing the politician with a chair and a table along with books inside the prison.

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In the video, Sisodia can be seen being taken to the court where media persons asked him to comment on the ordinance that the Centre brought on May 19 empowering the LG over the elected government.

As soon as the question was asked, the cops accompanying Sisodia gestured for the media to make way, while Sisodia said, “Modi ji has become very arrogant, does not respect democracy…” He was then held by a cop as he put his arm around his head in what looked like a stranglehold.

Sisodia’s judicial custody extended till June 1

Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Tuesday extended Sisodia’s judicial custody till June 1 in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

The Delhi government implemented the excise policy on November 17, 2021, but it was scrappedat the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

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The excise policy aimed at increasing government revenues and also ending the liquor mafia’s influence and black marketing. Under the new policy, open bidding was conducted for 849 liquor vends which were awarded to private companies.

The controversy over the liquor policy started when allegations were made that the AAP government used the policy to extend undue financial favours to the liquor licensees, much after the tenders had been awarded, thus causing huge losses to the exchequer.

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