Excise policy case: Supreme Court seeks replies from CBI, ED on Manish Sisodia's bail pleas

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, July 16

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to respond to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s petitions seeking bail in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the Delhi excise policy ‘scam’.

Issuing notice to the probe agencies on the senior AAP leader’s petitions, a three-judge Bench led by Justice BR Gavai posted the matter for hearing on July 29.

Sisodia – 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.

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.

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.

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.