Excise policy case: CBI files charge sheet against Sisodia, Kavitha’s ‘close aide’, others

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday filed a supplementary charge sheet in the Delhi excise policy case naming Delhi’s former deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia as an accused. This is the second charge sheet in the case but the first that names Sisodia, who has been in jail since February 26.

The CBI has charged Sisodia under sections dealing with criminal conspiracy, cheating, causing disappearance of evidence and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Sisodia has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The charge sheet also named three others including Hyderabad-based chartered accountant Butchi Babu Gorantla, who is alleged to be a close aide of Kavitha Kalvakuntla, the daughter of Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao. The other two named in the charge sheet are Arjun Pandey and Amandeep Singh Dhall.

The CBI informed the court that sanction to prosecute Sisodia has been obtained. The agency said it has kept the investigation open against other co-accused. The court will consider the charge sheet on May 12. The CBI had in November last year filed its first charge sheet in the case against seven co-accused, including two businessmen who were arrested by the federal agency. The first charge sheet ran into 10,000 pages (along with annexure).