Excise scam case: HC dismisses Sisodia's bail pleas, AAP disagrees

After the rejection of the bail pleas of Manish Sisodia in the excise case, the AAP on Tuesday said the party "respectfully disagrees" with the Delhi High Court's decision and will approach the Supreme Court to seek "justice" for the former Delhi deputy chief minister.

The high court on Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas of Sisodia in money laundering and corruption cases lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI respectively in connection with the alleged liquor scam.

Addressing a press conference, Delhi minister Atishi said the excise policy case is a "political conspiracy" of the BJP.

"We respect HC but we respectfully disagree with its decision. This alleged liquor scam is a political conspiracy by BJP. It is a political conspiracy to attack AAP, crush and trample the party.

"When the BJP couldn't defeat AAP in Delhi and Punjab in the electoral battle, this conspiracy was hatched," she charged.

The AAP leader said there are certain facts that prove this is a conspiracy.

"...Investigation has been going on for more than two years, more than 500 ED and CBI officers are involved in its probe, and more than eight charge sheets have been filed. Despite all this there has been no recovery of money from any AAP leader or minister. This must be the first scam in the world where no money trail has been found," she claimed.

Atishi said the whole case is based on statements taken through coercion and alleged that witnesses were tortured or beaten up till the time they did not give statements against AAP leaders.

Attacking the BJP over the issue, she said, "Your (BJP's) end is near. People have made up their minds to oust the BJP. Till June 4, you can keep hatching conspiracies. After June 4, when the INDIA bloc forms the government, the electoral bonds scam will be investigated. Not only BJP leaders, but IT, ED and CBI officers will go to jail because they are also involved."

Regarding the future course of action in the Sisodia case, Atishi said they will now approach the Supreme Court.

"We will file an application in the Supreme Court. In this country, whenever democracy has been attacked, the Supreme Court has saved it. PMLA law is being used to end the opposition. Sanjay Singh got bail, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court...we will also get justice for Sisodia," she added.

The high court had on May 14 reserved its order on the Sisodia's pleas after hearing arguments on behalf of the AAP leader, the CBI and the ED.

Sisodia had challenged a trial court's April 30 order by which his bail pleas were rejected.

The trial court had dismissed Sisodia's bail pleas in the corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and ED respectively in connection with alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.

Meanwhile, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja on Tuesday extended Sisodia's judicial custody till May 31 in the money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

The ED had on March 9 last year arrested the former deputy chief minister. He was arrested by the CBI earlier in the alleged liquor scam.