The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday accused the Delhi Police of misbehaving with former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is in judicial custody for his alleged role in irregularities in the national capital’s now-scrapped liquor policy.
Delhi Education Minister Atishi shared a video showing the police personnel preventing Sisodia from speaking to reporters at the Rouse Avenue court. The video also showed a police official holding the Aam Aadmi Party leader by the neck while taking him away.
“Shocking misbehaviour by this policeman with Manish ji in Rouse Avenue Court,” Atishi said in a tweet. “Delhi police should suspend him immediately.”
The party also accused the Delhi Police of showing leniency towards other accused persons like conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar when he is taken to court. “The same Delhi Police has judicial custody of Sukesh Chandrashekhar and they are giving him full chance to talk to media,” Delhi Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
Chandrashekhar is lodged in Tihar jail for allegedly extorting around Rs 215 crore from Shivinder Singh, a former promoter of pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy, and his wife Aditi Singh.
The Delhi Police, however, refuted Aam Aadmi Party’s claims on Tuesday and said that it is against the law for a person in judicial custody to issue statements to the media.
“The matter of policeman misbehaving with Manish Sisodia in Rouse Avenue Court is false propaganda,” the Delhi Police said in a tweet. “The policeman’s action was necessary from a security perspective. It is against the law for an accused in judicial custody to issue statements to the media.”
Manish Sisodia’s custody extended
The Delhi court on Tuesday extended judicial custody for Sisodia till June 1, reported the Hindustan Times.
The court told the jail superintendent to consider the former deputy chief minister’s request for a table and chair in his prison cell. The superintendent was also directed to consider his request to exchange the books that he had completed reading while in custody with new ones.
Sisodia was arrested on February 26 in connection with the Delhi government’s excise policy that came into effect in November 2021.
Under the excise policy, licences of 849 liquor shops were issued to private firms through open bidding. Earlier, four government corporations ran 475 liquor stores and the remaining 389 were private shops. The policy was withdrawn on July 30 after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended an inquiry alleging irregularities in the policy’s formulation and implementation.
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