Case of the Delhi Excise Policy Scam
The Supreme Court has requested responses from the CBI and ED (Enforcement Directorate) regarding the bail pleas filed by former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. He is seeking bail in connection with corruption and money laundering cases related to the now-defunct excise policy. Sisodia’s petitions challenge the orders of the Delhi High Court, which denied him bail in both the CBI and ED cases. Sisodia’s counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, requested interim bail from the apex court to attend to his ailing wife.
The court issued notice on the matter and scheduled a hearing on the application for an interim bail for July 28. The Additional Solicitor General, S.V. Raju, represented the Enforcement Directorate in the Supreme Court. Sisodia had approached the top court after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him bail in the money laundering case.
The Enforcement Directorate had recently stated that it had attached assets worth Rs 52.24 crore related to Sisodia, his wife, and other accused individuals in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. Sisodia had previously been denied bail by the high court in the CBI case, with the court deeming the allegations against him to be serious. He was arrested by the ED on March 9, following his arrest by the CBI on February 26. In April, the Special Judge denied Sisodia’s bail, stating that the evidence strongly indicated his involvement in the offense.
