Fresh summons will soon be issued, officials said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation today, after hours of suspense, accepted Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's request to defer his questioning in a case linked to alleged corruption in the scrapped liquor sales policy.
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Fresh summons will soon be issued, officials said. Mr Sisodia had earlier this morning requested the probe agency to give him till end of February as he was busy in preparing Delhi's budget.
Speaking to NDTV, he said Delhi's budget process is in its final stages, and he is working "day and night" to complete it on time.
"I got the CBI notice yesterday, when I am working day and night to prepare Delhi's budget. Every day is important to ensure there is no delay," Mr Sisodia, who is also the Finance Minister of Delhi, said.
He is not afraid of getting arrested and is not running away from any questions, but it shouldn't be "at the cost of the people of Delhi", he had said, terming the CBI summons a political with-hunt. Pointing to the timing of the CBI notice, he said that just a day after the BJP lost a case regarding the Mayor election in the Supreme Court, he was summoned for questioning. Claiming the notices were sent at "the behest of the BJP", he said the agency can arrest him later as well, after he has presented the budget.
The investigation relates to the now-withdrawn Delhi liquor sales policy introduced in 2021. Manish Sisodia is the head of Delhi's excise department, which is how he has come into the line of fire.
The Bharatiya Janata Party called Mr Sisodia's request an excuse to run away from questions. Taunting Mr Sisodia, BJP's Delhi spokesperson Harish Khurana said he looked nervous from his body language.
"I am not running away from the questions, I am just saying that the work of the budget will be derailed... That's why I have requested the CBI for time till the end of February," Mr Sisodia said.
Mr Sisodia is yet to be named as accused in the charge sheet filed by the agency, but last year, the CBI raided 31 locations, including his home. The agency did not find anything incriminating, the minister said - a stand not challenged by the agency.
Separately, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also launched a probe, alleging money laundering, and claimed a liquor lobby dubbed the "South Group" paid at least Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to AAP for its Goa election campaign via one of the arrested businessmen. They also questioned K Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, another strident critic of the BJP, and arrested her former accountant.
Mr Sisodia, the deputy of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and others face corruption allegations in bringing a new liquor sale policy in the national capital. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had ordered the CBI probe last year.
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