CBI gave me clean chit, says Sisodia after search of his bank locker

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, on Tuesday, said the CBI gave him a "clean chit" after a four-member team of the probe agency searched his bank locker for nearly two hours.

Sisodia and his wife were present when the CBI team conducted the search at a Punjab National Bank branch in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of Delhi.

Sisodia is among the 15 people and entities named in an FIR registered by the agency in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22.

The CBI was acting under pressure, Sisodia told reporters after the search was over.

He said he was happy "the prime minister got my house searched but could not find anything".

He said all the CBI officers were cordial with him and his family.

After the CBI search, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the honesty and patriotism of Sisodia stand vindicated in front of the entire nation and alleged that the CBI action was prompted by "dirty politics."

"Nothing was found from Manish's home, nothing from his locker. CBI found nothing in its search. The honesty and patriotism of Manish stand vindicated in front of the entire nation. It is evident that the entire action was triggered by dirty politics. Hope, this dirty politics will stop and we will be allowed to work," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.