Delhi High Court Denies Bail To AAP's Manish Sisodia In Delhi Excise Policy Case

Bail was denied on Tuesday to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia by the Delhi High Court in all cases related to the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.

The court stated that there had been no delay on the part of the prosecution in supplying documents and that the trial court had not delayed framing the charges.

Photo Credit: PTI

Delhi High Court Denies Bail To Sisodia

This decision by the High Court followed the Rouse Avenue court's extension of Sisodia's judicial custody until May 31. The High Court opined that there was no fault on the part of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), or the trial court concerning the handling of the voluminous investigation records, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The court dismissed Sisodia's arguments that the application could not be considered on its merits, labelling these contentions as "meritless." It was clarified that the Supreme Court had not restricted the lower courts' ability to consider the application on its merits. The court highlighted Sisodia's involvement in the destruction of electronic evidence and noted his influential position as a powerful party leader, suggesting the possibility of him influencing key witnesses could not be discounted, as per the media report.

During the hearing, it was observed that Sisodia had orchestrated a scheme wherein pre-drafted emails were sent under the guise of public comments by various individuals directed by him, rather than genuinely seeking public input. The court asserted that the corruption in this case stemmed from Sisodia's intent to frame the policy and that disseminating false information as feedback constituted corruption, as reported.

It was concluded that Sisodia had not made a sufficient case for the grant of bail. However, the High Court allowed him to meet his wife, Seema, who is suffering from an acute attack of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune condition of the central nervous system, under custody every week on the same terms and conditions as decided by the trial court.