SC grants bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia, to be out of jail after 17 months

NEW DELHI:  NEW DELHI: In a huge relief to AAP leader Manish Sisodia, the Supreme Court on Friday granted him bail in the excise policy irregularities case.

The former deputy chief minister of Delhi had sought bail in the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023 for his alleged involvement in the purported irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in the money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.

He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.

Sisodia has sought bail contending that he has been in custody for 17 months and the trial against him has not yet started.

The ED and the CBI have opposed his bail pleas.

During the arguments in the matter, the apex court had asked the CBI and ED where they see the "end of the tunnel" in these cases.

The top court had said that there were total 493 witnesses in both the cases and asked the probe agencies how long it would take it to conclude the trial.

The law officer appearing for the probe agencies had said there were eight important witnesses in each of the case lodged by the CBI and the ED.

The law officer had said Sisodia's claim that delay in these cases was attributable to the probe agencies was not correct.

The apex court had on July 16 agreed to hear Sisodia's pleas and sought responses from the CBI and the ED.

Sisodia had earlier moved the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court's May 21 order dismissing his bail pleas.

He had challenged in the high court a trial court's April 30 order rejecting his bail applications in the two cases.

(With online desk inputs)