Excise policy ‘scam’: Supreme Court to pronounce on Friday verdict on AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s bail pleas
Satya Prakash
New Delhi, August 8
The Supreme Court will on Friday pronounce its verdict on senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s petitions seeking bail in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the Delhi excise policy ‘scam’ even as it wondered how long it will take to complete the trial in the case.
A Bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan – which had reserved its verdict on Sisodia’s bail pleas on August 6 – will pronounce it on August 9.
“Where is the light at the end of the tunnel and how long will it take?” the Bench had on Tuesday asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju who accused Sisodia of delaying the trial by filing multiple applications seeking supply of documents.
The Bench had pointed out that none of his applications had been rejected for being vexatious and that the probe agencies supplied documents only after Sisodia moved applications.
On behalf of the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi contended that Sisodia has already undergone half of the minimum sentence and there was no evidence against him. “There is no statement about Manish Sisodia or WhatsApp chat with him. No evidence about hawala operators with him, no evidence of WhatsApp chat with Sisodia at all,” Singhvi had submitted.
The CBI and the ED had on Monday opposed senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s bail pleas before the Supreme Court in corruption and money-laundering cases linked to the excise policy scam, saying, documents showed his neck-deep involvement in the scam.
“Sisodia is not an innocent person picked up for political reasons… He is neck deep in the scam,” the ASG had said on behalf of the probe agencies. Sisodia’s petition for revival of his bail pleas was “not maintainable” and that he should go to the trial court for bail, he had said.
On Tuesday, Raju said Sisodia could tamper with evidence and influence important witnesses, if released on bail.
The matter relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 which now stands scrapped.
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 former Delhi Deputy CM – who has been denied bail by the top court in the past – has sought to revive his petitions in the excise policy scam-related corruption and money laundering cases. He has sought bail contending that he has been in custody for 16 months and the trial against him has not made any progress since October 2023.
Holding that the possibility of evidence-tampering by him can’t be ruled out, the Delhi High Court had on May 21 dismissed Sisodia’s bail pleas.
Sisodia challenged the high court’s order but the Supreme Court which on June 4 refused to entertain his bail pleas in corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the ED in connection with the excise policy scam.
During the June 4 hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had said that the chargesheet/prosecution complaint in the liquor policy case would be filed on or before July 3, 2024 and the top court had granted Sisodia liberty to revive his prayers for bail after the filing of the final complaint/chargesheet.
