The Supreme Court of India has refused to grant relief to Manish Sisodia, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in the Delhi excise policy scam cases. The court disposed of his bail plea and allowed him to revive his petitions after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed their final prosecution complaints or chargesheets in the cases involving alleged corruption and money laundering.
The court’s decision comes after the Delhi High Court rejected Sisodia’s bail pleas in both cases, citing that he had not been able to make out a case for grant of bail. The High Court had also noted that Sisodia was a powerful and influential person within the Delhi government and had allegedly indulged in the destruction of crucial evidence, including electronic evidence.
Sisodia had been in custody for nearly 15 months and had approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s verdict. His counsel, Abhishek Singhvi, had sought bail for him, saying that the trial in these cases had not yet started. The Supreme Court has given Sisodia the liberty to revive his bail petitions after the ED and CBI file their final prosecution complaints or chargesheets. The court has not made any comments on the merits of the case, leaving all contentions open.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the Delhi excise policy scam, and the ED arrested him in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023. The Delhi government implemented the excise policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.