MHA grants CBI sanction to prosecute Sisodia in 'collection of political intelligence' case

In more trouble for Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia the Centre cleared the way for the registration of a new case against the AAP leader by giving sanction for prosecution to the CBI over alleged illegal collection of political intelligence through a Delhi government departmentThe Union Ministry of Home Affairs conveyed to Delhis Lt Governors office the grant of sanction to prosecute Sisodia under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 powers to police for investigating a public servantSisodia hit out at the Centre describing it as a cowardly act while the BJP demanded that the CBI arrest him and probe Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals role in the caseTaking to Twitter Sisodia said Filing false cases against your rivals is a sign of a weak and cowardly personAlso readMumbai BEST takes 400 leased buses off roads after three CNG buses catch fire in one monthThe more AAP will grow the more cases will be filed against us he said in a tweet in HindiSisodia is already facing a CBI case for alleged favours extended to liquor traders in the formulation of the nowscrapped Delhi Excise policy of 202122 He is to appear before the probe agency on February 26The nod for Sisodias prosecution came after the CBI had said it found during its preliminary inquiry that the Feedback Unit FBU set up by the Delhi government to check corruption allegedly collected political intelligence in violation of rules and the agency recommended that an FIR be registered against himThe Aam Aadmi Party dispensation had proposed setting up the FBU in 2015 to gather relevant information and actionable feedback regarding the working of the various departments and autonomous bodies institutions and entities falling under the jurisdiction of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi GNCTD and also to do trap cases the CBI saidThe people of Delhi welcome the sanction accorded to the CBI to prosecute Sisodia in the case Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva saidWe demand that the CBI immediately arrest Sisodia And the real accused of the snoopgate Arvind Kejriwal should also be probed he saidThe FBU unit started functioning in 2016 with a provision of Rs 1 crore for secret service expenditure it saidThe Central Bureau of Investigation alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal moved the proposal in a Cabinet meeting in 2015 but no agenda note was circulated No sanction from the Lieutenant Governor was taken for appointments in the FBU it claimedThe Feedback Unit in addition to collecting the mandated information also collected political intelligenceintelligence qua miscellaneous issues the CBI said in its preliminary inquiry reportThe CBI registered the preliminary inquiry on a reference from the Delhi governments vigilance department which had allegedly detected irregularities in the FBUPrima facie the CBI noted there was a deliberate violation of rules guidelines and circulars by delinquent public servantsThe nature of violations committed is inherently dishonest and as such materials disclose abuse of official position with dishonest intention by concerned public servants Manish Sisodia Dy CM and Sukesh Kumar Jain the then Secretary Vigilance the report claimedAccording to the CBI 60 per cent of the reports generated by the FBU pertained to vigilance and corruption matters while political intelligence and other issues accounted for around 40 per centThe scrutiny of such reports during the period from February 2016 to the early part of September 2016 shows that a substantial number of reports submitted by FBU officials related not to actionable feedback or information on corruption in any department institute entity etc under the GNCTD the CBI allegedBut they were related to political activities of persons political entities and political issues touching political interest of Aam Aadmi Party BJP which was beyond the scope and ambit of functions of FBU the CBI has allegedThe agency has alleged that the FBU was misused by the public servants concerned for a purpose other than the one for which it was manifestly createdUse of FBU to this extent for the purpose of gathering political intelligence for AAP or for its convenor Arvind Kejriwal can reasonably be interpreted to mean and constitute the obtaining of valuable things or pecuniary advantage as gathering this information otherwise would necessarily have entailed spending money the CBI allegedThe CBI said the FBU was functioning for some hidden purpose which was not in the interest of the GNCTD but private interest of the Aam Aadmi Party and Manish Sisodia who played an active role in the creation of the unit flouting the established rules of GNCTD and MHA in connivance with Sukesh Kumar Jain the then vigilance secretaryIt was also revealed that no formal action was taken against any public servant or department based on FBU reports the CBI allegedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or 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