Delhi Excise Policy: Manish Sisodia Moves Court Seeking Interim Bail for Poll Campaigning

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, who has been apprehended by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to the purported Delhi excise policy scam case, moved Rouse Avenue Court on Friday, seeking interim bail for election campaigning.

The application is slated for hearing later today before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who presides over cases involving the CBI and ED.

Both the CBI and the ED have leveled allegations of irregularities in the modification of the Delhi excise policy. They contend that undue favors were granted to license holders, along with waivers or reductions in license fees, and extensions of licenses without proper authorization. According to the probe agencies, the beneficiaries allegedly funneled illicit gains to implicated officials and falsified entries in their accounting records to evade detection.

The former deputy chief minister was apprehended by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, for his purported involvement in the “scam.” Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detained Sisodia on March 9, 2023, in connection with a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR. Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.