CBI registers FIR against Manish Sisodia, 5 others in Delhi government's 'Feedback Unit' case
Reacting to the development, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "PM's plan is to slap several false cases against Manish and keep him in custody for a long period. Sad for the country!"
FollowFormer Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was on Thursday (March 16) booked by the CBI in a fresh case related to alleged misuse of official position and using the city government's Feedback Unit for "political snooping".
Already arrested by the CBI in the excise policy case and at present in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the woes of 51-year-old Sisodia aggravated after the agency registered a fresh case against him on Tuesday and five others for alleged criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, forgery and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.
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"The agency has booked Sisodia, a 1992-batch IRS officer Sukesh Kumar Jain who was then secretary of vigilance, retired CISF DIG Rakesh Kumar Sinha who was working as special advisor to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and joint director in the Feedback Unit," they said.
Besides, former joint deputy director of Intelligence Bureau Pradeep Kumar' Punj, who was working as deputy director of the Feedback Unit, retired assistant commandant of CISF Satish Khetrapal who was working as feedback officer and Gopal Mohan, advisor, anti-corruption, to Kejriwal were also booked in the case, officials said.
The agency has invoked IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 403 (Dishonest misappropriation of property),409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant), 468 (forgery), 471 (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 477A (falsification of accounts) besides provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act against those named in the FIR.
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Reacting to the development, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "PM's plan is to slap several false cases against Manish and keep him in custody for a long period. Sad for the country!"
The case relates to the Feedback Unit set by the Aam Aadmi Party to gather relevant information and actionable feedback regarding the working of the various bodies under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Government and to do "trap cases" to check corruption, the FIR alleged.
The FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation is an outcome of a preliminary enquiry which had "prima facie disclosed the offences" against the named accused. The CBI, in its preliminary enquiry report, has alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal moved the proposal in a Cabinet meeting in 2015, regarding setting up the unit but no agenda note was circulated.
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The CBI said the Feedback Unit was functioning for some "hidden purpose" which was not in the interest of the GNCTD but "private interest of the AAP and Manish Sisodia", who played an active role in the creation of the unit, flouting the established rules of GNCTD and MHA in connivance with Sukesh Kumar Jain, the then vigilance secretary.
It was also revealed that no formal action was taken against any public servant or department based on the Feedback Unit reports, the CBI alleged.
(With inputs from PTI)
