Delhi court rejects Dy CM’s bail plea for second time

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia’s second regular bail plea in the money laundering and corruption cases related to the liquor policy case were rejected by a Delhi Court on Tuesday.

To approach High court

Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will approach the high court against the city court’s Tuesday order, refusing bail to him in the alleged excise policy scam case, the AAP said.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Courts denied bail to Sisodia, who has been in judicial custody since February 23 last year.

Sisodia had previously been denied bail by the trial court, the Delhi High Court, and the Supreme Court in both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases. The apex court had also rejected his review petitions and dismissed his curative petitions.

Pankaj Gupta, representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), opposed the bail plea, arguing that Sisodia does not meet the criteria for bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and highlighted Sisodia’s political influence.

Gupta also stated that Sisodia, as the main accused, is not entitled to parity. He claimed that there is a prima facie case against Sisodia for the destruction of evidence and misuse of power, which could impede the investigation.

Sisodia was first arrested by the CBI on February 26 and by the ED on March 9 last year. The charges against him include allegations of influencing decisions regarding the 2021-22 excise policy without proper authorisation, leading to undue favours for licences.

The ED alleged that the excise policy was a part of a conspiracy to provide significant profits to certain private companies. The agency claimed that Vijay Nair, acting on behalf of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, coordinated this conspiracy.

Sisodia’s bail applications had previously been rejected by Special Judge MK Nagpal, after which he appealed to the Delhi High Court and then the Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court also refused to grant him bail on October 30 last year.

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