The Delhi High Court’s decisions to deny Sisodia bail in the proceedings brought by the CBI and ED were contested in the petitions that he filed. On Friday, the Supreme Court gave notice to the CBI and ED in response to the former deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia’s petition for bail in the matter involving the Delhi excise policy. Sisodia’s eligibility for a temporary release on bond will be up for debate in front of the Supreme Court on July 28.
Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Bela M. Trivedi, and Ujjal Bhuyan’s panel took into account the argument made by senior attorney Abhishek Singhvi on behalf of Sisodia that his wife Seema Sisodia was hospitalized due to an acute medical condition. The Delhi High Court’s decisions to deny Sisodia bail in the proceedings brought by the CBI and ED were contested in the petitions that he filed.
Earlier this week, a bench presided over by CJI DY Chandrachud had consented to list the special leave applications after senior attorney Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was representing Sisodia, requested an urgent listing of the matter. On February 26, the CBI detained Manish Sisodia, who is regarded as Arvind Kejriwal’s number two, on allegations that the Delhi government had given licenses to numerous unqualified vendors in exchange for bribery.
Eight months after it had been implemented, the alcohol policy was rescinded due to charges of corruption. Manish Sisodia has been detained ever since. On March 9, the ED detained him in connection with a money laundering case arising from the CBI FIR. The Delhi cabinet was resigned by Sisodia on February 28. After the Delhi High Court rejected Manish Sisodia’s bail requests, he petitioned the Supreme Court.
The Delhi High Court had denied him bail in the money laundering case on July 3, stating that the charges against him were “very serious in nature.” On May 30, the court had refused him bail in the CBI investigation, stating that Sisodia was a “high-profile” individual who might be able to sway the witnesses. The High Court stated in its decision that Sisodia could not claim he played no part in the alleged excise policy scheme because he was at the “helm of affairs” at the time.
Earlier this month, the Enforcement Directorate declared that it had attached assets totaling Rs 52.24 crore that belonged to Sisodia, his wife, and a few other accused parties in the case. Sisodia’s assets, which comprised two real estate properties and bank accounts totaling Rs. 11.49 lakh, were attached for Rs. 81 lakh of the entire sum.
