The Delhi High Court, on the present day, has extended the duration for the ED and the CBI to present their responses to former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s pleas for release in the corruption and money-laundering accusations linked to the purported excise policy misconduct.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who previously summoned both agencies to submit their responses and scheduled the hearing for today, received notification from representatives of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) indicating their requirement for additional time to formulate their replies.
This plea for an extension from the agencies’ legal representatives was contested by Sisodia’s legal counsel, emphasizing his detainment and recalling the assurances made by the ED and the CBI to the Supreme Court regarding the completion of the trial within six months.
The court articulated its decision, stating, “The respondents seek an extension to provide a response. It has been conveyed that the ED is in the process of preparing another prosecution statement concerning a co-defendant in this matter. Despite this, considering the detainment of the accused, a further four days are allotted to the respondents for the submission of their replies. The responses must be documented with the court by Monday, with a preliminary copy furnished to the opposing party by the same date.” The court also scheduled a subsequent hearing for May 14.
Initially, the counsel for the ED submitted an application requesting an additional week to prepare their response to the petition. They mentioned that the investigating officer is deeply engrossed in the inquiry, and they are concurrently compiling a supplementary prosecution statement for the case. Additionally, they cited the officers’ engagement in Supreme Court proceedings.
The legal representative for the CBI echoed this request, urging the court to allow a week for the agency to formulate their reply. Sisodia had contested a lower court’s decision on April 30, which denied his bail petitions, citing an inappropriate stage for bail consideration.
The High Court had previously extended interim relief to Sisodia, permitting him to visit his unwell spouse once weekly during his detention, pending the resolution of the petitions.
Sisodia’s bail pleas in both the corruption and money-laundering cases lodged by the CBI and ED respectively, relating to alleged irregularities in the drafting and implementation of the defunct Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, were dismissed by the trial court.
The investigation agencies alleged that the beneficiaries diverted illicit gains to implicated officials and falsified their financial records to avoid detection.
The CBI and ED, investigating the cases against Sisodia, assert that improprieties occurred during the modification of the excise policy, with undue advantages extended to license holders.
In the aforementioned April 30 ruling, the special judge rejected Sisodia’s plea, deeming the timing unsuitable for bail consideration. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was apprehended by the CBI on February 26, 2023, concerning his alleged involvement in the scandal. Subsequently, the ED arrested him on March 9, 2023, in connection with a money-laundering offense derived from the CBI’s FIR.
Sisodia tendered his resignation from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023. The High Court had previously dismissed his bail pleas in both the CBI and ED cases on May 30 and July 3 of the preceding year.
On October 30, 2023, the Supreme Court declined to intervene with the High Court’s ruling, noting that the allegations of “excessive profits” amounting to Rs 338 crore made by select wholesale liquor distributors were supported by substantial evidence. The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but terminated it at the end of September 2022 amidst accusations of corruption.