Delhi court to hear Manish Sisodia’s bail plea on April 15 in excise policy case

New Delhi, April 10

A Delhi court will hear on April 15 the bail application of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in the excise policy-related money laundering case.

Special Judge for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases, Kaveri Baweja, posted the matter after a brief hearing on the application, during which the counsel for the former Delhi deputy chief minister opposed the submissions made by the ED.

The counsel told the court that the central probe agency was repeating the arguments already made earlier in the case, “before this court as well as the Supreme Court”.

Sisodia, currently in judicial custody, was also produced before the court during the proceedings.

The ED had on the last hearing alleged before the court that Sisodia and the other accused persons were delaying the trial in the case.

The court had on April 10 extended Sisodia’s judicial remand till April 18 after he was produced before the court on the expiry of his custody.

The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to the licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority’s approval.

The beneficiaries allegedly diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies have alleged.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the alleged excise policy scam. The ED arrested Sisodia in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.

He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.