Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia’s petition challenging Delhi High Court order rejecting his bail plea in connection with a money laundering case linked with the excise policy ‘scam’.
The top court adjourned Sisodia’s plea till August 5. The court gave Enforcement Directorate (ED) time to file its reply to the plea till August 1. Sisodia sought bail saying that he has been in custody for 16 months and the trial against him hasn’t made any progress since October last year.
On February 26 last year, the CBI arrested the AAP leader in connection with the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22. Almost two weeks later, the ED arrested Sisodia in the money laundering case based on the CBI FIR.
The Supreme Court on July 16 agreed to hear the pleas and sought responses from the CBI and the ED. The former Delhi Deputy CM also filed an application seeking the revival of his bail pleas in the corruption and money laundering cases to the excise policy case.
His plea also said the probe agencies told the apex court on June 4 that the charge sheet and the prosecution complaint in the main excise policy case and the money laundering case linked to it would be filed on or before July 3. On June 4, the Supreme Court refused to entertain Sisodia’s bail pleas in the 2 cases.
The top court said at the time that Sisodia could revive his petitions for bail after the central agencies file the final prosecution complaint and the charge sheet in these cases. The court also said that in the event of filing such a bail application, it would be considered on its own merit as it already observed in its October 30, 2023 order.
Before this, the AAP leader moved the top court challenging the Delhi High Court’s order dated May 21 dismissing his bail pleas. In the Delhi HC, Sisodia challenged a trial court’s order dated April 30 rejecting his bail applications in the two cases.
On October 30 last year, the Supreme Court denied bail to Sisodia in both the cases. The top court said that the accusation of “windfall gains” worth Rs 338 crore to wholesale liquor dealers were “tentatively supported” by evidence. The top court also gave Sisodia the liberty to approach courts for relief in case there was a change in circumstances or the trial got protracted
