The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a protest outside the BJP headquarters here on Monday to express solidarity with jailed party leader Manish Sisodia, while his court hearing was underway.

There was heavy police deployment on the stretch of road leading up to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in view of the protest.

Carrying placards that read "Manish Sisodia Tujhe Salaam", the protesters raised slogans, such as "Manish Sisodia ko riha karo" (free Sisodia) and "jail ke taale tootenge, Manish Sisodia chootenge".

AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar said, "Manish Sisodiaji has brought a great revolution in Delhi's education sector. The public is with him. Those who dedicate their lives for public welfare, the BJP government puts them in jail. Those who cheat the country like (industrialist Gautam) Adani get protection." Alleging that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has not submitted any proof against Sisodia till date, another legislator Praveen Kumar said the ruling BJP at the Centre is so scared of the AAP that it is ensuring that the former deputy chief minister and another former Delhi minister, Satyendar Jain, stay in jail.

"This is vendetta politics. The BJP wants to contest the (2024) Lok Sabha polls by putting opposition leaders in jail. The ED is no longer the Enforcement Directorate. It has become the 'Election Department' of the BJP," he said.

A designated CBI court extended Sisodia's judicial custody till April 17 on Monday in the Delhi excise scam case.

Sisodia was produced before special judge MK Nagpal, who extended his judicial custody by 14 days following a prayer by the federal agency.

The CBI told the court that the investigation is at a crucial stage in the corruption case linked to the "scam".

Sisodia was arrested for alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22.

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