Snooping case: MHA gives permission to prosecute Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia
The CBI brought the snooping allegations against Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in a report that claimed that after taking power in Delhi in 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party formed a feedback unit for political intelligence gathering.
FollowThe Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the prosecution of Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the Feedback Unit snooping case on Wednesday, February 22. The latest development comes as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigates Sisodia in connection with the liquor policy case. The CBI brought the snooping allegations against Sisodia in a report that claimed that after taking power in Delhi in 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party formed a feedback unit for political intelligence gathering.
Following the CBI report, Manish Sisodia led the alleged snooping unit. The Aam Aadmi Party had previously dismissed the charges. In response to the charges, the Delhi government said, "So far, 163 cases have been filed against us by the CBI, ED (Enforcement Directorate), and Delhi Police. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party has failed to prove even one case. Nothing else can be said about it. These cases have political motivations."
Earlier, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena approved the CBI's request for Sisodia's prosecution and forwarded it to the home ministry. The CBI report added that a cabinet decision established the feedback unit on September 29, 2015. The unit, led by Sisodia, has no legislative or judicial legality but was snooping on politicians.
The CBI said that no agenda for the unit was distributed, and permission from the then-LG was also not sought. The unit began operations in 2016 with a budget of one crore for secret service expenditure, added the agency. According to the report, 60 per cent of the FBU's reports dealt with vigilance and corruption issues, while 40 per cent dealt with 'political intelligence' and other matters.
In response to the allegations, Sisodia tweeted, "The BJP has levelled new allegations against me, claiming that I have been spying on them since 2015. If such powerful people rely on the CBI, ED, and Pegasus to infiltrate opposition leaders, and if they are afraid of me, it appears that I have surpassed Modi."
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