Delhi court rejects Manish Sisodia's second bail plea in excise policy case

Manish Sisodia is facing a corruption and money laundering probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate

A court in Delhi on Tuesday rejected the second bail plea of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia in connection with the excise policy case. The decision came after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the application.

Special judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court ruled against granting bail to the former deputy chief minister, after reserving the verdict on April 20.

Sisodia is currently in judicial custody and lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail, where his party's boss and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is also incarcerated in the same case.

Sisodia will now approach the High court against the city court order rejecting his bail in cases filed by both CBI and the ED.

Last week, the judicial custody of Sisodia, co-accused Vijay Nair and others was extended till May 8 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

During the hearing held last week, the court instructed the ED to furnish a report detailing the anticipated duration for digitising the documents associated with the chargesheet. The probe agency had alleged that the accused persons were delaying the legal process and exhibiting reluctance to expedite the hearing.

Manish Sisodia was initially arrested by the CBI on February 26 and subsequently by the ED on March 9 last year.

The ED and CBI have alleged that irregularities were committed in the modification of the excise policy. According to the central investigative bodies, undue advantages were bestowed upon licence holders, including the waiving or reduction of licence fees, and the extension of the L-1 licence without the necessary approval from the competent authority.

Notably, the lower court, the High Court and the Supreme Court had also refused to grant bail to the AAP leader.