Excise Policy Scam: AAP Says Sisodia Mentally Harassed in CBI Custody, Pressured to Admit False Charges

Arrested former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia is being mentally harassed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in custody and pressurised to sign papers containing false charges in the excise policy case, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh said on Sunday.

In a press conference, Singh said Sisodia is being mentally harassed and being forced to sign a paper listing all allegations. “Manish Sisodia, who worked hard day and night to provide good education to 18 lakh children, whose education model is being hailed by the world… American President’s wife comes to India, she wants to see the schools built by Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal. Today, Manish Sisodia is being mentally harassed in CBI custody. They tell him that all allegations are provided in writing. You sign it,” he said.

Citing the chargesheet and supplementary chargesheet filed by the CBI, he said Sisodia was not named as an accused in the corruption case. “Narendra Modi scolded officials into making fake matters, fake allegations, doing mental torture and ordered them to make sure to get him convicted. After that, without truth, base or proof, Manish Sisodia was arrested.”

The Aam Aadmi Party has maintained that the case against Sisodia is false and accused the Modi government of misusing central agencies to harass members of other parties.

Sisodia’s Custody Extended

Manish Sisodia’s CBI custody was extended till March 6 by a special CBI court on Saturday on the expiry of his five-day remand. The CBI had told the court that it required more time to question Sisodia as “certain missing files” containing legal opinions on the expert committee recommendations on the excise policy are yet to be traced and called him “non-cooperative” during questioning.

Sisodia’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishan, had argued against CBI’s plea stating the agency’s inefficiency in completing the probe cannot be grounds for remand, and he cannot be asked to incriminate himself. Krishnan had also said, “Manish Sisodia’s wife’s health is very poor, and she is technically in the vegetative stage.”

Mental Harassment

After the order was pronounced, Sisodia told the court the central agency was interrogating him for 10 hours, 10 am to 8 pm, in its custody, and repeated questions and termed it “mental harassment”. The court then asked the CBI not to ask him repeated questions.

Following the court’s order, Singh had termed the extension of Sisodia’s custody as “harassment by the CBI.” “It is a more serious issue now, as Sisodia’s lawyer has alleged,” he said.

Opposition Write to PM on ‘Misuse’ of Central Agencies

Opposition leaders including Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, K Chandrasekhar Rao, Bhagwant Mann, wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging “blatant misuse” of central agencies against members of the opposition. Leaders such as Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Farooq Abdullah (Jammu & Kashmir National Conference), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena, UBT) and Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party were among the signatories of the letter.

“The blatant misuse of central agencies against the members of the opposition appears to suggest that we have transitioned from being a democracy to an autocracy the misuse of central agencies and constitutional offices like that of the Governor – to settle scores outside of the electoral battlefield is strongly condemnable as it does not bode well for our democracy,” the letter said.

Many across the nation are furious about his arrest. Sisodia is credited for transforming education in Delhi schools. His arrest will serve as a example of a political witch hunt and serve to corroborate what everyone had already suspected: that India’s democratic values are in danger under the dictatorial BJP rule, it alleged.

(With inputs from PTI)

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