NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's trusted lieutenants Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, both behind bars on corruption charges, resigned from the Cabinet on Tuesday. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted their resignations, officials said.
Official sources said Sisodia's portfolios would be allotted to Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot and Social Welfare Minister Raj Kumar Anand.
Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on Sunday evening in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.
Jain is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in a money laundering case.
After Jain's arrest in May last year, Sisodia was also allocated the former's health portfolio in addition to the ones he was handling. His arrest comes at a time of presenting the Delhi government budget.
Even after his arrest, Jain continued to be a minister in the government but without any portfolio. His portfolios, including home and urban development, had been handed over to Sisodia.
Sisodia's workload had almost doubled after Jain's arrest, and he was handling most of the crucial departments of the city government.
Sisodia was holding the charge of 18 out of 33 departments of the Delhi government, including health, finance, education and home.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea by Sisodia challenging his arrest by CBI in the multi-crore scam of the Delhi liquor policy. The bench observed that just because the incident has happened in Delhi, Sisodia cannot come to the apex court directly as he has his remedies before the trial court concerned as well as the Delhi High Court.
Following an 8-hour-long grilling session, the CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia.
The AAP leader, accused number one in the CBI FIR, was earlier questioned on October 17, a month before the agency filed its charge sheet on November 25.
The CBI had not named Sisodia in the charge sheet as the central probe agency kept the probe open against him and other suspects and accused, they said.
Sisodia was arrested after his deposition appeared incoherent with respect to the evidence and information gathered by the agency during the preliminary probe and statements of witnesses and accused (including government officials) who deposed in the case so far.
In a statement issued post his arrest, the CBI claimed, “He gave evasive replies and did not co-operate the investigation despite being confronted with evidence to the contrary.”
Sisodia and Jain have led what the AAP describes as the "successful transformation" of Delhi's education and health services, contributing to the party's popularity and continued electoral success.
The BJP had stepped up its attack on the AAP following Sisodia's arrest and had been demanding his sacking, along with that of Jain, from the Delhi Cabinet.
"BJP's struggle has borne fruits. We had been demanding that Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain would have to resign and also go to jail. And out of embarrassment, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had to accept their resignations. This is a victory of BJP workers, a victory of truth," Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva said.
The Congress meanwhile said Sisodia has been arrested in an "open-and-shut case of corruption", and demanded that Kejriwal should be arrested too for his involvement in the liquor scam.
Congress leader and former Union minister Ajay Maken said those who formed their party on the anti-corruption plank should answer questions posed on the excise policy, which was formed in complete contradiction of the recommendations of the committee set up by them.
(With inputs from PTI, Express News Service)