Excise ‘scam’: Delhi High Court issues notices to CBI, ED on Manish Sisodia’s pleas for bail

Satya Prakash

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New Delhi, May 3

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notices to the CBI and the ED on former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s petitions seeking bail in the corruption and money-laundering cases registered against him in connection with the excise policy scam.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma asked the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to respond to Sisodia’s petitions challenging a Delhi Special Court’s order dismissing his bail pleas and posted the matter for May 8.

Noting that it was not the right stage to grant bail, the special court had on April 30 dismissed Sisodia’s bail pleas in corruption and money-laundering cases lodged by the both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy of 2021-22.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023 for his alleged role in the ‘scam’ and he resigned from the Delhi cabinet two days later. The ED arrested him in a money-laundering case related to the scam on March 9, 2023 after questioning him in Tihar Jail.

The Delhi government had implemented the new excise policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. The profit margin of wholesalers was increased from 5 per cent to 12 per cent under the new policy, the probe agencies alleged.

The new policy resulted in cartelisation and those ineligible for liquor licences were favoured for monetary benefits, the agencies alleged. However, Sisodia denied any wrongdoing and claimed the new policy would have led to an increase in the city government’s revenue.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had on December 14, 2023 dismissed Sisodia’s pleas seeking review of its October 30, 2023 verdict dismissing his bail petitions in corruption and money-laundering cases related to the scam.

The top court had denied him bail, saying the allegation by the probe agencies that ‘windfall gains’ of Rs 338 crore were made by a few wholesale distributors was ‘tentatively supported’ by evidence.