LI Network
Published on: 4 August 2023 at 17:40 IST
The Supreme Court, declined to grant interim medical bail to Manish Sisodia, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case.
The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti announced that Sisodia’s plea for medical bail would be heard in September, along with his plea for regular bail.
Last month, the Supreme Court had issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in response to Sisodia’s bail plea concerning the Delhi excise policy scam.
Justice Khanna’s bench had taken serious note of Sisodia’s wife’s medical condition and urged him to file an interim plea for medical bail.
Sisodia, facing charges in the excise policy scam case, approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court denied him bail in cases registered against him by the CBI and the ED.
The Delhi High Court had rejected his bail plea in the ED case on July 3, and earlier, on May 30, his bail plea in the CBI case related to the same scam was also denied.
During the hearing today, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju informed the Court about the severity of Sisodia’s wife’s condition, stating that she had been suffering for 26 years.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi highlighted the critical nature of her illness, noting that she was living with her elderly mother while her other family members were in the USA.
The Supreme Court decided to consider the medical bail application along with the regular bail application and asked the ASG to provide a clear picture of how the money trail in Sisodia’s case was established.
The alleged excise policy scam involves Delhi government officials allegedly conspiring to grant liquor licenses to specific traders in exchange for bribes.
The central agencies assert that the excise policy was manipulated to benefit certain traders by changing profit margins, and kickbacks were received in return.
The ED and the CBI initiated cases related to the alleged scam after Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena recommended a CBI investigation based on a report by the Delhi Chief Secretary.
The report alleged that Sisodia violated statutory provisions by implementing a policy with significant financial implications.
Sisodia maintains that the policy and its changes were approved by the LG and that the CBI is now targeting the policy decisions of an elected government.
He contends that no money has been traced to him, and the agencies are reassessing a liquor policy formulated by the elected government and approved by the LG of Delhi.
