NEW DELHI: The CBI said Monday that its Deputy Legal Advisor Jitendra Kumar was in "no way connected" with the Delhi excise "scam" probe, as it rejected Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's charge that the officer killed himself recently as he was under pressure to "frame" him.
The CBI refuted Sisodia's claims as "mischievous and misleading", saying his statements were is "an attempt to divert attention from the ongoing investigation in Delhi Excise Policy case".
"The CBI strongly refutes this mischievous and misleading statement by Sisodia. It is clarified that the gentleman officer Late Jitendra Kumar was in no way connected with the investigation of this case. He was Deputy Legal Advisor in-charge of prosecution; in which capacity he was supervising prosecutors who are conducting the trial of already charge-sheeted cases in Delhi," the CBI said in a statement.
It said that according to the Delhi Police, which is conducting inquest proceedings into the death, the officer has not held anyone responsible for his death in his suicide note.
"The Excise policy case is under investigation. As such no clean chit has been given to any of the accused. The mischievous and misleading statement of Sisodia is an attempt to divert attention from the ongoing investigation in Delhi Excise Policy case, and also amounting to interference in the inquest proceedings into the death of the gentleman officer," the CBI said.
On August 19, the federal probe agency had raided 31 locations, including Sisodia's residence, after filing an FIR over alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22.
Sisodia has been claiming that he has been "made an accused in a false case to stop the march of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal" who, he believes, has emerged as an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"A CBI officer was pressured to frame me in false excise case. He could not take the mental pressure and died by suicide two days ago. This is really unfortunate, I am deeply hurt," Sisodia alleged during a press conference.
"I want to ask PM why officers are being pressured so much that they are forced to take such extreme steps. Arrest me if you want, but don't destroy families of your officers," he added.