Supreme Court seeks CBI, ED's response to Manish Sisodia's bail pleas

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear AAP leader Manish Sisodia's pleas seeking bail in the Delhi excise policy case. He has been incarcerated since February 2023.

An apex court bench, led by Justice B R Gavai, also issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking their response to Sisodia's pleas.

The court posted the matter for hearing on July 29.

The CBI arrested Manish Sisodia on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the liquor policy case. In March 2023, the Enforcement Directorate arrested him in the money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR.

Also read: Excise case: ED urges Delhi high court to set aside Kejriwal’s bail

Manish Sisodia, who was Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's deputy, resigned from his posts soon after his arrest.

Manish Sisodia was arrested months after a CBI probe was ordered into the scrapped Delhi liquor policy.

The central agencies have accused AAP and its leaders of accepting kickbacks amounting to ₹100 crore from a group of liquor businessmen in return for favouring them in granting liquor licenses in the national capital. They also accuse AAP leaders of funnelling ₹45 crore to their 2022 Goa election campaign through hawala channels.

Manish Sisodia's AAP colleague, Sanjay Singh, was also arrested in the case. However, he got bail earlier this year.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21. The agencies allege he is one of the kingpins of the alleged scam. He recently got an interim bail in the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy. However, he is still in jail because the CBI arrested him last month.

Manish Sisodia's lawyers, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and advocate Vivek Jain, said the trial is moving at a snail's pace.

With inputs from PTI