In connection with the defamation action brought against him by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Assam’s Kamrup district summoned Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on September 29.
In July, the Assam Chief Minister launched a complaint against Sisodia, alleging that the Assam government had awarded contracts to his wife’s company and his son’s business partner to supply Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits at market rates during the COVID pandemic in 2020.
Sarma appeared before the Kamrup District and Sessions Judge Court earlier this month in the same case. As the complainant in the case, the Assam CM had appeared in court for an initial deposition.
In response to claims of anomalies in the provision of PPE kits, Sarma stated that the PPE kits were “gifted to the government” and that his wife’s company “raised no bill” for them. Notably, Sarma’s wife has filed a separate Rs 100 crore lawsuit against Sisodia.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as the first culprit in a FIR filed in connection with the Delhi government’s excise policy anomalies. The CBI raided 21 locations in seven states on Friday in connection with the probe, including Sisodia’s apartment in Delhi.
Previously, the investigation agency questioned Sisodia after conducting raids on his residence and his aides. The CBI has named Sisodia as the first accused in its FIR. The FIR was filed by the CBI under IPC sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 477-A (Falsification of Accounts).
The charges against Sisodia are that liquor businessmen were offered a Rs 30 crore tax break. The licence holders were allegedly granted extensions at their discretion. The policy regulations were created by breaking excise laws.