Elections Campaign: Delhi Court Issues Notice to ED, CBI on Manish Sisodia’s Interim Bail

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Friday issued notices to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s plea for interim bail in excise cases for campaigning in upcoming general elections.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, directed the central investigative agencies to submit their responses by April 20, 2024.

Both the CBI and the ED have alleged irregularities in the modification of Delhi’s excise policy, citing undue favors to license holders, waiver or reduction of license fees, and extensions of licenses without proper approval.

The central probe agencies claim that beneficiaries diverted illicit gains to accused officials and falsified entries in their accounting records to avoid detection.

Sisodia, arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, in connection with the “scam,” also faced arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9, 2023, in a money-laundering case arising from the CBI FIR. Following these developments, Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.