Delhi Excise Policy Case: Manish Sisodia Approaches Delhi HC For Bail

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, filed a plea in the Delhi High Court on Thursday, contesting the trial court’s decision to deny him bail in the excise policy case under investigation by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Advocates Rajat Bharadwaj and Mohd Irshad brought the matter before the bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, urging for an urgent listing of the case. Acknowledging the submissions, the bench stated, “Let the concerned judge review the file. If your documents are in order by 12.30 pm today, we will schedule it for tomorrow.”

“This court is not inclined to grant bail to the Applicant, either regular or interim, at this stage,” the Rouse Avenue Court stated in rejecting Sisodia’s bail pleas on April 30, the second time in the case. Thus, the application in question is denied.”

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja observed, “It is evident that the Applicant, individually and along with other accused, has been submitting various applications or making oral submissions frequently, some of which are frivolous, seemingly as a coordinated effort to delay proceedings.”

The court emphasized that the duration of incarceration of Benoy Babu and that of the Manish Sisodia cannot be equated, especially considering the findings in the preceding paragraphs of the order, where the applicant himself attributed to the slow progress of the case.

Sisodia has been in custody since February 26, 2023, following his arrest by the CBI. Subsequently, he was arrested by the ED. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and BRS Leader K Kavitha were also arrested in connection with the excise policy case.

The ED and the CBI alleged irregularities in modifying the excise policy, extending undue favors to license holders, waiving or reducing license fees, and extending the L-1 license without proper authorization.

The beneficiaries purportedly diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and falsified entries in their financial records to evade detection, according to the probe agencies.

The excise department purportedly decided to refund the earnest money deposit of approximately Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against established rules. Despite the absence of a provision, a waiver on tendered license fees was permitted from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19, resulting in an alleged loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, as per the allegations made by the probe agency.