Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and other arrested accused persons till April 18th.
New Delhi: In another major setback for the Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of former deputy minister and party leader Manish Sisodia, along with other arrested individuals, until April 18th. The next hearing is scheduled for April 18th.
Delhi Excise policy | Judicial custody of AAP leader & former Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia and other arrested accused persons is extended till April 18th.
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024
Sisodia was arrested in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy scam and is lodged in Tihar jail. On April 2, he had alleged that the Enforcement Directorate and CBI probing the case have not been able to prove that any money has him.
Special judge Kaveri Baweja was hearing Manish Sisodia’s bail petition in the CBI case.
Senior advocate Mohit Mathur on behalf of Sisodi told the court that the probe against him had been ended and allegations by the central agencies against him are yet to be established. Hence, he deserves bail.
“It has been nearly eleven months…. The investigation is complete. The allegations have to be established. Nothing is attributable as far as it is concerned to me,” the counsel said on Sisodia’s behalf. The counsel said Sisodia was eligible for bail as there is no loss to the exchequer or to any individual. “There is no loss to the government exchequer. There is no loss to any individual. None of us who are consumers has been cheated of anything,” Mathur said.
Notably, the former Delhi minister moved a bail plea before the court in the ED case which was dismissed by the court on April 28 last year. Similarly, the bail plea in the CBI case related to the alleged excise policy scam was dismissed on March 31, 2023. Then he challegend the order of the trial court and moved to Delhi high court but again his bail application in the ED case was rejected in July last year and in CBI case in May, 2023. Sisodia’s lawyers then approached to Supreme Court.
The top court also dismissed his bail plea, granting him liberty to file a fresh bail application. Manish Sisodia submitted both a review petition and a curative appeal to challenge the Supreme Court’s verdict, but regrettably, both his efforts were turned down. Not only this, but he found himself caught in the web of law enforcement yet again when, after being taken into custody by the CBI on the 26th of February, 2023, he was further apprehended by the ED while still under judicial custody on the 9th of March, 2023.
AAP Was Optimistic
AAP was optimistic after the bail of MP Sanjay Singh. After getting the bail, Singh said it was a “significant day for democracy” and expressed hope that their party leaders would also be released from jail soon.
The AAP leader was arrested by the central agency in October last year in the money laundering case related to now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
Sanjay Singh’s release came when the party is facing worst-ever crisis, triggered by the arrest of Kejriwal just ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
Sisodia is being probed by the Directorate of Enforcement and the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged involvement in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.The former Delhi deputy chief minister was arrested by the CBI on February 26 last year and will be produced for bail hearing tomorrow.
