Sisodia arrested on false charges: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that his former deputy Manish Sisodia was being kept in jail on false charges and that he was arrested by ED because he would've got bail.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Sisoda on money laundering charges in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy, official sources said.

The 51-year-old was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following his second round of questioning at the Tihar jail, they said.

''First, Manish was arrested by the CBI. CBI did not find any evidence and no money was found during the raids. Tomorrow there is a bail hearing. He would have been released tomorrow. So ED arrested him today. They have only one aim -- to keep Manish inside at all costs by slapping false cases. People are watching. They will reply,'' Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

The agency alleged Sisodia was ''evasive'' in his replies and was ''not cooperating in the probe.'' Sisodia has been in judicial custody since the CBI arrested him on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor or excise policy for 2021-22.

The first round of Sisodia's questioning by the ED took place on March 7.