Delhi’s deputy chief minister <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/2023/02/27/india-arrests-dehli-minister-manish-sisodia-over-corruption-allegations/" target="_blank">Manish Sisodia</a> challenged allegations made by federal investigators at the country's highest court on Tuesday. He was arrested on Sunday evening for allegedly receiving payments from alcohol companies to pass a new liquor policy for the national capital that would have led to the government's exit from the alcohol business in 2021. Mr Sisodia, a former journalist-turned-politician from <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/india-election-delhi-chief-defies-slaps-and-shoes-to-step-up-fight-against-modi-1.860145" target="_blank">Aam Admi Party</a>, was interrogated for more than eight hours by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday. The bureau said that he gave “evasive replies” and failed to “co-operate in the investigation” but in his plea to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Mr Sisodia refuted these allegations. A Delhi court on Monday placed him in the custody of the CBI for five days, at a place with closed-circuit cameras to obtain "genuine and legitimate" answers and "a proper and fair investigation". Mr Sisodia's plea seeking an urgent hearing was made before the Chief Justice of India <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2022/10/18/reformist-judge-dy-chandrachud-to-be-indias-50th-chief-justice/" target="_blank">Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud</a>, who agreed to hear it later on Tuesday. The arrest is another point of friction between Delhi's ruling AAP party led by Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/2023/02/14/tax-raids-on-bbcs-india-offices-following-modi-documentary/" target="_blank">Narendra Modi's</a> Bharatiya Janata Party over the control of the capital. More than 200 supporters of the AAP stormed the streets on Monday carrying placards and wearing handcuffs as they protested against Mr Sisodia’s arrest. The AAP has called Mr Sisodia's arrest “dirty politics”. Mr Sisodia has claimed the federal government is conducting a witch hunt against its leaders. He is the second Delhi minister after Satyendra Jain to be arrested. Mr Jain was arrested on money laundering charges in May last year. The bureau filed a case against the minister and other accused employees of the state government, including some private alcohol company executives, in August last year and raided his residence. The proposed privatisation, meant to increase revenue and eliminate the black market, was cancelled by the government after the allegations emerged, with most of the 849 private alcohol stores shutting their outlets. The Delhi government then reopened state-run alcohol stores.