Sisodia alleges manhandling, judge orders CCTV footage preservation

A Delhi court on Thursday directed officials to preserve the May 23 CCTV footage of the court premises after Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia alleged he was manhandled by security personnel that day during his production in a case related to the alleged excise policy scam.

The police also moved an application seeking court's permission to produce Sisodia only via video conference, after he levelled the allegation.

The police favoured Sisodia's virtual production contending that bringing him to court "creates chaos" due to the presence of Aam Aadmi Party supporters and media in the corridors.

Special judge MK Nagpal, after taking note of both the applications, directed Sisodia's production through video conference pending his decision on the prayers.

Sisodia was produced before the court on Thursday via video conference.

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.

The 51-year-old Aam Aadmi Party leader was first arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation, 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 ED 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 Bharat Rashtra Samithi 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.