NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned from their posts in the state cabinet on Tuesday. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accepted their resignation and it will be sent to Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena.
The development comes two days after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Sisodia was arrested on Sunday in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Delhi government.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s plea challenging his arrest in connection with the excise policy case. The apex court suggested that Sisodia move the Delhi High Court.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, said that the court is not inclined to entertain the petition at this stage and suggested Sisodia to move to Delhi High Court. “It cannot interfere in the matter as it may open the gate of people approaching the top court in every such matter”, the court remarked. On Monday, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court had sent Sisodia to CBI custody for five days.
The CBI has quizzed Delhi’s Minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in connection with the alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi excise policy. Jain is presently lodged in judicial custody in connection with another case related to money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Jain’s name surfaced in the matter along with another cabinet minister as well as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
According to the lawyers, the CBI has also quizzed Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the ED case related to the excise policy. Nair was granted bail in a CBI case by the trial court earlier. Recently, the CBI and ED have made several arrests for alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi excise policy. (ANI)