Court seeks ED response on Sisodia’s plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding a plea by AAP leader Manish Sisodia challenging a trial court’s decision to take cognisance of a chargesheet in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued a notice to the ED and scheduled Sisodia’s plea for hearing on Dec 20, coinciding with a similar petition filed by former CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Sisodia, who is currently out on bail, contended that the trial court’s cognisance of the chargesheet was invalid as it lacked sanction for prosecuting the former Deputy Chief Minister, who was a public servant at the time of the alleged offence.

The CBI and the ED allege that irregularities occurred in modifying the excise policy, benefiting certain licence holders. The policy was rolled out by the Delhi Government on November 17, 2021, but was scrapped in September 2022 following allegations of corruption. The money laundering case originated from a CBI probe recommended by L-G VK Saxena.