Excise policy: Manish Sisodia moves Delhi HC against order denying bail

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday approached the Delhi high court, two days after he was denied bail by a special court in separate cases against him in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

The plea was mentioned by advocate Rajat Bharadwaj before a bench of acting chief justice Manmohan and justice Manmeet PS Arora.

“This is a bail application by the MLA. The urgency is ongoing elections,” Bharadwaj said.

Considering the submissions, the court agreed to hear the matter on Friday.

Also Read: Delhi court castigates Manish Sisodia for ‘delaying’ excise trial

On Tuesday, the city court, while denying him bail in the case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had ruled that Sisodia individually and along with other accused, contributed to the delay in court proceedings related to the Delhi excise policy.

In his second bail application moved in January, the former deputy CM had highlighted the delay in the trial’s commencement, despite assurances from ED that it will conclude within 6-8 months.

“It is apparent that the applicant (Sisodia) individually, and along with different accused have been filing one or the other application/making oral submissions frequently, some of them frivolous, that too on a piecemeal basis, apparently as a concerted effort for accomplishing the shared purpose of causing delay in the matter,” the judge said in the order on Tuesday, which was made available on Wednesday.

Rejecting Sisodia’s reasoning that he was entitled to seek bail by the top court’s October 30, 2023 order “in case the trial is protracted and proceeds at a snail’s pace in the next three months, special judge Kaveri Baweja judge remarked that the consistent advancement of the case, despite attempts to impede it, did not warrant the label of a “snail’s pace”.

“In the backdrop of the above discussion and the factual position which emerges from the court record, the plea of the applicant that the proceedings have been delayed or protracted or that the case is proceedings at a snail’s pace are rejected. The so-called delay caused in progression of the case is also clearly on account of reasons attributable to the applicant,” the court said.

CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26, 2023, stating that it had recovered several incriminating evidence, in the case, and to conduct a fair investigation, his custody was required.

Sisodia was later sent to Tihar Jail by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, from where he was arrested by ED which is carrying out a separate probe into the policy in connection with alleged money laundering on March 9, 2023.