Manish Sisodia’s bail application dismissed by Delhi court; AAP to move Delhi High Court

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court dismissed AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s bail application in a money laundering case related to Delhi government’s excise policy. Special Judge MK Nagpal denied the bail and said that the stage was not fit to grant him bail after hearing arguments from Sisodia’s side.

AAP will move the Delhi High Court after the rejection of Sisodia’s bail.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the bail application stating that the investigation was at a crucial stage and claiming that the AAP leader had planted fabricated e-mails to show there was public approval for the policy. The agency also said that it found fresh evidence of Sisodia’s complicity in the crime. 

Sisodia and other members of AAP have been accused of granting liquor licences to certain trader in exchange for bribes. The agencies have claimed that the excise policy was tweaked and the profit margins were changed to benefit certain traders from whom Sisodia and his colleagues received kickbacks. Both ED and CBI had registered cases after Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe.

The court had previously dismissed Sisodia’s bail application on March 31 in a corruption case that was being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It said that Sisodia was "prima facie the architect" with regards to advance kickbacks of Rs 90-100 crore that were meant for him and his colleagues. 

The CBI and the ED had arrested Sisodia for alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and for laundering the money so generated.

Also read: Liquor policy scam: CBI files chargesheet against former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia