Delhi HC Dismisses Sisodia's Bail Plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the bail petition of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case related to the Delhi Excise Policy matter.

He is not entitled to bail at this stage, Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma while refusing to grant him bail. The court also dismissed the bail petitions of Vijay Nair, ex-communication in charge of Aam Aadmi Party, Abhishek Boinpally (Hyderabad Based Businessman), Binoy Babu Binoy, (manager with a liquor company M/S Pernod Ricard) in connection with the Excise case.

Sisodia, the former Delhi deputy chief minister and excise minister, was first arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the scam and has been in custody since then. He had sought bail on various grounds, including the deteriorating health of his wife who is suffering from multiple sclerosis.

On June 3, the Delhi High Court reserved its order on his bail plea.

According to the CBI and ED, which are probing the cases against Sisodia, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to licence holders.

Sisodia had challenged the March 31 order of the trial court which had dismissed his bail plea, saying he was prima facie the "architect" of the alleged scam and had played the "most important and vital role" in the criminal conspiracy related to alleged payment of advance kickbacks of Rs 90-100 crore meant for him and his colleagues in the Delhi government.

The policy was implemented in November 2021 before it was scrapped in September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

The bail plea of Sisodia in the excise policy scam was rejected by the court on May 30. The court cited Sisodia's influence as a prominent figure and the potential to sway witnesses, who are predominantly public servants, as reasons for its decision. Furthermore, the court emphasized the gravity of the allegations against Sisodia, stating that they are of a highly serious nature.