Delhi court orders manhandling CCTV footage be given to Sisodia

A Delhi court on Wednesday directed officials to provide Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia the May 23 CCTV footage of its premises when he was allegedly manhandled by security personnel.

The judge noted that following an earlier court order, the official concerned of Rouse Avenue District Courts premises had brought the CCTV footage of May 23 pertaining to production of Sisodia before the court in the case.

"As some allegations of manhandling against lockup officials were levelled on behalf of the accused earlier, the said footage has been directed to be preserved and produced... Let an extra copy of the above footage in a separate pen drive be also provided by the assistant engineer (electrical), PWD to reader of the court before next date and the same be supplied to counsel representing the said accused," the judge said.

Special judge MK Nagpal listed the matter for August 25.

Sisodia was produced physically before the court for Wednesday's proceedings.

The court had on July 6 ordered that he shall continue to be produced so, unless otherwise requested by the accused or directed by the court.

Sisodia, an accused in cases related to the alleged excise policy scam, had alleged he was manhandled by security personnel on May 23 during his production in a case related to the alleged excise policy scam.

The court, meanwhile, sought a report from a private hospital at Gurugram, where co-accused Amit Arora is currently admitted, following an earlier court order, saying his hospitalisation "has been stretched too long".

"This court prima facie feels that hospitalization of accused in a private institute under the garb of above orders (allowing Arora to be hospitalised in a private hospital) has been stretched too long. Hence, let a detailed medical report from the medical superintendent/director of the concerned hospital be called immediately," the judge said.

The judge directed the hospital to include the details of the medical processes or tests conducted during the Arora's hospitalisation in its report.

He further directed the hospital to specifically state in said the report, along with the detailed reasons of the doctors concerned as to why the said processes or tests could not have been performed during the OPD visits and the same would have been possible only after admission of the accused.

The court had on May 27 dismissed Arora's interim bail application on medical grounds in view of findings given by the Medical Board of AIIMS constituted under order of the court to medically evaluate him.

It was directed by the court that private treatment and hospitalisation shall be at the expenses of accused.

However, on May 30, the court had clarified that the hospitalisation of accused in a private hospital will only be made when the same is required for performance of any surgical process or for some diagnostic or other tests which cannot otherwise be performed.

The AAP leader was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case related to the alleged scam on March 9 from Tihar Jail where he is currently lodged in judicial custody.

Fifty-one-year-old Sisodia was first arrested by the CBI, which is probing alleged corruption in formulation and implementation of the excise policy.

In its nearly 270-page supplementary charge sheet which has annexures running into 2,000 pages, the Enforcement Directorate has called Sisodia a "key conspirator" in the case.

In the previous charge sheets, the anti-money laundering agency said the liquor policy 'scam' was a "conspiracy" hatched by some of the big political leaders of the AAP and the so-called 'South Group' comprising BRS leader K Kavitha, YSR Congress MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and others who used "proxies and dummies" to conceal their involvement.

Kavitha is the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.