Excise Policy: CBI Raids at Residence of Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, 20 Other Locations

New Delhi:  The CBI on Friday carried out searches at the residences of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and IAS officer Arava Gopi Krishna besides at 19 other locations after registering an FIR in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, officials said. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered the FIR in connection with the alleged irregularities in formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy brought in November last year, they said. 

As part of the operation, the CBI teams reached 21 locations in seven states and UTs including the premises of Sisodia and former Excise Commissioner Krishna, a 2012-batch IAS officer from the AGMUT cadre, they said. 

Premises of two other public servants are also being searched.

Hitting out at the Centre, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the CBI raid at his junior colleague’s house was the result of their good performance which is being appreciated globally. 

जिस दिन अमेरिका के सबसे बड़े अख़बार NYT के फ़्रंट पेज पर दिल्ली शिक्षा मॉडल की तारीफ़ और मनीष सिसोदिया की तस्वीर छपी, उसी दिन मनीष के घर केंद्र ने CBI भेजी

CBI का स्वागत है। पूरा cooperate करेंगे। पहले भी कई जाँच/रेड हुईं। कुछ नहीं निकला। अब भी कुछ नहीं निकलेगा https://t.co/oQXitimbYZ

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 19, 2022

He said there were CBI raids before and nothing will come this time as well.

 "The day Delhi's Education model was appreciated and Manish Sisodia's photo appeared on the front page of America's biggest newspaper NYT, the Centre sent CBI at the residence of Manish.

"CBI is welcome. Will extend full cooperation. Earlier also there were raid and probe. Nothing came out. Nothing will come out now also," Kejriwal tweeted.

"The CBI has come. They are welcome. We are dead honest. Shaping up future of lakhs of children. It's very unfortunate that those who do good work are harassed like this. That's why our country has not become number one in the world," Sisodia tweeted.

सीबीआई आई है. उनका स्वागत है. हम कट्टर ईमानदार हैं . लाखों बच्चों का भविष्य बना रहे हैं.

बहुत ही दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है कि हमारे देश में जो अच्छा काम करता है उसे इसी तरह परेशान किया जाता है. इसीलिए हमारा देश अभी तक नम्बर-1 नहीं बन पाया.

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 19, 2022

He said the CBI will be extended full cooperation and asserted that several cases were lodged on him but nothing came out in those and nothing will come out this time too.

Last month, Delhi LG VK Saxena had recommended a CBI probe into the Kejriwal government's Excise Policy, 2021-22 over alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses.

Sisodia too had demanded a probe by CBI in the alleged irregularities in the policy.

The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi Chief Secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009 and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, they said.

According to officials, the report had shown prima facie violations, including "deliberate and gross procedural lapses", to provide post-tender "undue benefits to liquor licensees" through the policy. 

A copy of the report was also sent to the chief minister, they said.

Apart from this there were also "deliberate and gross procedural lapses" to provide post tender "undue benefits to liquor licensees", said the officials.

It is alleged that undue financial favours were extended to liquor licensees after the tenders were awarded causing loss to exchequer. 

The excise department had give a waiver of Rs 144.36 crore to the licensees on the tendered licence fee on the excuse of COVID-19, the sources claimed, adding that it also refunded the earnest money of Rs 30 crore to the lowest bidder for the licence of the airport zone when it failed to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from airport authorities.

"It was in gross violation of rule 48(11)(b) of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010, which clearly stipulates that the successful bidder must complete all formalities for the grant of the licence, failing which all deposits made by him shall stand forfeited to the government," one of the sources had said.

The Excise Policy, 2021-22, formulated on the basis of an expert committee report was implemented from November 17 last year and retail licences were issued under it to private bidders for 849 vends across the city, divided into 32 zones.

Several of its provisions such as slashing the number of dry days to three from 21 per year, the government's exit from retail liquor sale, allowing bars in hotels, restaurants to stay open till 3 am (awaiting police permission) and the retail licensees to offer rebates and schemes on alcohol were implemented by the excise department.

However, under the policy, many liquor stores failed to open for being located in non-conforming areas of the city. Several such vends were sealed by the municipal corporations for violations of the Master Plan.