Most CBI officers were against Manish Sisodia's arrest, alleges Kejriwal; says 'political pressure' led to arrest

Key Highlights:

• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that most Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers were against his deputy Manish Sisodia’s arrest but they obeyed their "political masters" due to "political pressure"
• The comment comes a day after Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in connection with the alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22
• The medical examination of Manish Sisodia was done at the CBI headquarters today and he will be presented before the Rouse Avenue court at 2 pm.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that most Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers were against his deputy Manish Sisodia’s arrest but they obeyed their "political masters" due to "political pressure".

"I am told that most CBI officers were against Manish’s arrest. All of them have huge respect for him and there is no evidence against him. But the political pressure to arrest him was so high that they had to obey their political masters," he tweeted.

The comment comes a day after Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in connection with the alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

He was arrested after eight hours of questioning in an ongoing investigation in "a case related to alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy", the CBI said in a statement.

Immediately after the arrest, Kejriwal said that his arrest is a result of "dirty politics".

"Manish is innocent. His arrest is dirty politics. There is a lot of anger among the people due to the arrest of Manish. Everyone is watching. People are understanding everything. People will respond to this. This will boost our spirits further. Our struggle will get stronger," tweeted Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday.

The central agency has accused Sisodia of offering undue benefits to liquor sellers by offering them discounts at the cost of the exchequer.

Sisodia gave evasive replies and did not co-operate with the investigation, the CBI claimed in the statement. "The Deputy Chief Minister gave evasive replies and did not cooperate with the investigation despite being confronted with evidence to the contrary. Therefore, he has been arrested. The arrested accused will be produced before the Designated Court, Delhi," it added.

After the arrest, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers are carrying out nationwide protests today. Party workers are staging protests in Bhopal, Chandigarh, Delhi and other cities amid tight security.

The medical examination of Manish Sisodia was done at the CBI headquarters today and he will be presented before the Rouse Avenue court at 2 pm.

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