Shillong, October 30: The Supreme Court on Monday dealt a significant setback to Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia by dismissing his bail pleas in corruption and money-laundering cases related to the Delhi liquor policy.
As per India Today, the apex court denied him bail, citing the “tentative establishment” of a money trail amounting to Rs 338 crore in the case.
A bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, which had previously reserved its verdict on October 17 regarding two separate bail applications filed by Sisodia, delivered the verdict.
The bench noted that there was a tentative establishment of one aspect concerning the transfer of Rs 338 crore, and therefore, “We have dismissed the applications for bail.”
However, the court mentioned that the prosecution had assured that the trial would conclude within six to eight months. It stated, “So within three months, if the trial proceeds slowly, he [Sisodia] will be entitled to file an application for bail.”
With Sisodia’s bail pleas rejected, sources within the Enforcement Directorate conveyed to India Today that the decision indicated the top court’s acceptance of the probe agency’s arguments and evidence against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.
During the October 17 hearing, the Supreme Court informed the Enforcement Directorate that if the alleged bribe for altering the Delhi excise policy was not part of the predicate offense, it would be challenging to establish the money-laundering case against Sisodia. The court emphasized that any legal protection must be granted and assumptions of bribery could not be relied upon.
Manish Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 in connection with the “scam,” and he has been in custody since then. The ED arrested him in a money-laundering case related to the CBI FIR on March 9, after questioning him in Tihar jail.
The investigative agencies have alleged that the new policy led to cartelization and favored ineligible parties for liquor licenses for financial gain. However, both the Delhi government and Sisodia have consistently denied any wrongdoing, contending that the new policy aimed to increase revenue shares.