Manish Sisodia is seeking bail in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday agreed to hear Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia’s bail pleas and has sought replies from CBI and ED on the petitions in connection with his arrest in the excise policy case.
Sisodia is seeking bail in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
A bench, headed by Justice B R Gavai and comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice K V Viswanathanhas, sought responses from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sisodia’s pleas and has posted the matter for next hearing on July 29, PTI reported.
Along with his bail plea, Sisodia has also submitted an application to revive his petitions in the excise policy-related corruption and money laundering cases.
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The former deputy CM was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023. Then ED arrested him in the money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.
The matter relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22.
Earlier on Monday, a Delhi court extended Sisodia’s judicial custody until July 22 in the money laundering case. He has been lodged in Tihar Jail since his arrest in the case last year.
The apex court had denied bail to Sisodia on October 10, 2023. Though it raised doubts on some of the charges levelled against him by the ED, the court, however, said there is “material and evidence” which “tentatively” supports one of the charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 – that the 14 wholesale distributors had earned “excess profit” of Rs 338 crore in a period of about 10 months during which the new excise policy was in operation.
Before that, the Delhi High Court had denied bail to the senior AAP leader, stating that he failed to pass the triple test for granting bail in the corruption case and the twin conditions required under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
(With inputs from PTI)
