Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been denied bail in a money laundering case related to the Delhi liquor policy matter. The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court’s judge MK Nagpal said that the investigation was at a crucial stage and that it didn’t merit granting bail. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed Sisodia’s request for bail, alleging that he fabricated emails to show public approval for the new liquor policy for the national capital. The CBI is also investigating the alleged influence of a south lobby of businessmen and politicians in making the Delhi liquor policy swing in their favor 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
The CBI is investigating the alleged involvement of a “south lobby” of businessmen and politicians in influencing the Delhi liquor policy for their benefit, using middlemen, traders, and bureaucrats. Butchibabu Gorantla, a former chartered accountant of K Kavitha, leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested by the CBI in this case. Ms. Kavitha was also questioned by the agency in connection with the matter.
After the CBI probe was ordered and the allegations of corruption and money laundering related to the Delhi liquor policy came to light, the Delhi government reverted to the old liquor policy. The government blamed the Lieutenant Governor for the loss of revenue worth crores of rupees, claiming that if the new policy had continued, the revenue would have been much higher. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had earlier claimed that the new policy was aimed at increasing the state’s revenue and reducing corruption in the liquor industry.
