NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday extended AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia‘s judicial custody till April 18.
Manish Sisodia, who has been lodged in Tihar jail in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor case, was brought to Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court earlier today.
The AAP leader on April 2 had alleged that the central agencies probing the case have not been able to prove that any money has reached his hands.
The court of special judge Kaveri Baweja was hearing his bail petition in the CBI case related to the alleged scam in the Delhi excise policy of 2021-22.
Sisodia had made the submissions through senior advocate Mohit Mathur. The counsel told the court the investigation against Sisodia had been concluded. However, the allegations against him are yet to be established. So, he was entitled to bail.
“It has been nearly eleven months…. The investigation is complete. The allegations have to be established. Nothing is attributable as far as it is concerned to me,” the counsel said on Sisodia’s behalf. The counsel said Sisodia was eligible for bail as there is no loss to the exchequer or to any individual. “There is no loss to the government exchequer. There is no loss to any individual. None of us who are consumers has been cheated of anything,” Mathur said.
He stated that there were reports pointing out that the government revenue had actually increased. The senior advocate also submitted that Sisodia satisfied the triple test for bail — he is not a flight risk, will not influence witnesses and not tamper with evidence. As he is no more the deputy CM, Sisodia was not influential anymore, he told the court.
“I was granted interim bail to attend a wedding. I attended the wedding and came back. There was not even a whisper of an allegation against me that I had misused the liberty granted to me,” Mathur submitted.
Citing a Supreme Court order dismissing Sisodia’s bail application in October last year, Mathur submitted the order was passed after the ED assured the top court that the trial in the case would end in six to eight months. However, six months have passed since the order of the SC and the trial is yet to begin. The senior advocate, arguing for parity, said that the Supreme Court had also granted bail to another accused Benoy Babu, stating that he had remained in jail for 13 months but the trial in the case was yet to begin.
Sisodia had earlier moved a bail application before the court in the ED case, which was dismissed on April 28, 2023. His bail application in the CBI case was dismissed on March 31, 2023. He then approached Delhi high court, challenging the orders of the trial court, but his bail application in the ED case was dismissed on July 3, 2023, and his bail application in the CBI case on May 30, 2023. He then approached Supreme Court.
While dismissing his bail application, the apex court granted him liberty to file a fresh bail plea. Sisodia also moved a review petition and a curative petition against the Supreme Court order but both the petitions were dismissed.
Manish Sisodia was arrested by CBI on Feb 26, 2023, and while he was in judicial custody, ED arrested him on March 9, 2023.
Manish Sisodia, who has been lodged in Tihar jail in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor case, was brought to Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court earlier today.
The AAP leader on April 2 had alleged that the central agencies probing the case have not been able to prove that any money has reached his hands.
The court of special judge Kaveri Baweja was hearing his bail petition in the CBI case related to the alleged scam in the Delhi excise policy of 2021-22.
Sisodia had made the submissions through senior advocate Mohit Mathur. The counsel told the court the investigation against Sisodia had been concluded. However, the allegations against him are yet to be established. So, he was entitled to bail.
“It has been nearly eleven months…. The investigation is complete. The allegations have to be established. Nothing is attributable as far as it is concerned to me,” the counsel said on Sisodia’s behalf. The counsel said Sisodia was eligible for bail as there is no loss to the exchequer or to any individual. “There is no loss to the government exchequer. There is no loss to any individual. None of us who are consumers has been cheated of anything,” Mathur said.
He stated that there were reports pointing out that the government revenue had actually increased. The senior advocate also submitted that Sisodia satisfied the triple test for bail — he is not a flight risk, will not influence witnesses and not tamper with evidence. As he is no more the deputy CM, Sisodia was not influential anymore, he told the court.
“I was granted interim bail to attend a wedding. I attended the wedding and came back. There was not even a whisper of an allegation against me that I had misused the liberty granted to me,” Mathur submitted.
Citing a Supreme Court order dismissing Sisodia’s bail application in October last year, Mathur submitted the order was passed after the ED assured the top court that the trial in the case would end in six to eight months. However, six months have passed since the order of the SC and the trial is yet to begin. The senior advocate, arguing for parity, said that the Supreme Court had also granted bail to another accused Benoy Babu, stating that he had remained in jail for 13 months but the trial in the case was yet to begin.
Sisodia had earlier moved a bail application before the court in the ED case, which was dismissed on April 28, 2023. His bail application in the CBI case was dismissed on March 31, 2023. He then approached Delhi high court, challenging the orders of the trial court, but his bail application in the ED case was dismissed on July 3, 2023, and his bail application in the CBI case on May 30, 2023. He then approached Supreme Court.
While dismissing his bail application, the apex court granted him liberty to file a fresh bail plea. Sisodia also moved a review petition and a curative petition against the Supreme Court order but both the petitions were dismissed.
Manish Sisodia was arrested by CBI on Feb 26, 2023, and while he was in judicial custody, ED arrested him on March 9, 2023.
