Delhi Excise Policy Case: SC Reserves Verdict on Manish Sisodia Regular Bail Pleas

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on the regular bail pleas of former Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia. These pleas are related to corruption and money laundering cases arising from the Delhi excise policy ‘scam.’

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti reserved its verdict on two separate bail petitions by Sisodia. This decision followed hearings in which his counsel, Abhishek Singhvi, and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), presented their arguments.

Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in connection with the ‘scam’ and has remained in custody since that time. The ED arrested Sisodia on March 9 in a money laundering case linked to the CBI FIR, after questioning him in Tihar Jail. Subsequently, Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28.

The High Court had denied him bail in the CBI case on May 30, citing his high-profile status as the former deputy chief minister and excise minister, which raised concerns about his potential to influence witnesses. On July 3, the High Court also rejected his bail application in the money laundering case associated with alleged irregularities in the city government’s excise policy, deeming the charges against him as “very serious in nature.”

The Delhi government had implemented the excise policy on November 17, 2021, but subsequently canceled it at the end of September 2022 due to allegations of corruption.