CBI books Sisodia in case related to Delhi govt's Feedback Unit
2 min read . Updated: 16 Mar 2023, 02:11 PM IST
Premium- As per the CBI, the Feedback Unit was established in 2016 with a budget of ₹1 crore to cover its secret service expenditure.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, and others regarding the Delhi Government's Feedback Unit (FBU), which was allegedly involved in political surveillance, officials said on Thursday.
The agency has charged Sisodia, Sukesh Kumar Jain (a 1992-batch IRS officer who served as the Secretary of Vigilance at that time), retired CISF DIG Rakesh Kumar Sinha (who was functioning as a special advisor to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal), and the Joint Director of FBU.
In addition, the CBI has also charged Pradeep Kumar Punj, former Joint Deputy Director of Intelligence Bureau who was serving as Deputy Director of the Feedback Unit, Satish Khetrapal, retired Assistant Commandant of CISF who was working as a feedback officer, and Gopal Mohan, advisor for anti-corruption to Kejriwal. Officials have reported that Sisodia, who was previously arrested by the CBI in the Delhi excise policy case, is presently in custody in an Enforcement Directorate case.
The AAP dispensation had proposed setting up the Feedback Unit 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 said.
As per the CBI, the Feedback Unit was established in 2016 with a budget of Rs. 1 crore to cover its secret service expenditure. The CBI claimed that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal proposed the unit during a Cabinet meeting in 2015, but no agenda note was circulated, and no approval from the Lt Governor was obtained for appointments made to the unit.
In its preliminary enquiry report, the CBI alleged that the Feedback Unit not only collected the necessary information but also gathered political intelligence and miscellaneous information.
The vigilance department of the Delhi government referred the case to the CBI, stating that it had discovered irregularities in the Feedback Unit.
(With PTI inputs)