NEW DELHI, Oct 30: In a setback for former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, the Supreme Court on
Monday rejected his regular bail pleas in corruption and money-laundering cases related to the alleged
Delhi excise policy scam and said the transfer of Rs 338 crore was tentatively established in the matter.
A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice SVN Bhatti said it has recorded the statements of the probe
agencies that the trial in these cases will conclude in six to eight months.
But if the trial proceeds in a “sloppy manner”, Sisodia will be at liberty to apply for bail in these cases in
three months, the bench said.
“In the analysis, there are certain aspects which we have said are doubtful. But one aspect with regard
to the transfer of money Rs 338 crore tentatively is established. We have therefore dismissed the
applications for bail.
“We have made one pointed observation that they have said that the trial will conclude in six to eight
months. So within three months, if the trial proceeds in a sloppy manner or slowly, he will be entitled to
file an application for bail,” Justice Khanna said while pronouncing the verdict.
The bench said that in the verdict it has referred to the arguments and some of the legal questions
which arose but were not answered. “Most of them are not answered and if they have been answered,
they have been answered in a very limited way,” Justice Khanna said.
The top court pronounced its verdict on Sisodia’s two separate regular bail pleas filed in corruption and
money-laundering cases related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. It had on October 17 reserved
its verdict on both the pleas.
Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 for his alleged role in
the “scam”. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has been in custody since then.
The ED arrested Sisodia in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9 after
questioning him in Tihar jail. Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28.
The high court denied him bail in the CBI case on May 30, saying having been the deputy chief minister
and excise minister, he is a “high-profile” person who has the potential to influence the witnesses.
On July 3, the high court declined him bail in the money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities
in the city government’s excise policy, holding that the charges against him are “very serious in nature”.
The Delhi government had implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of
September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. According to the investigating agencies, the profit
margins of wholesalers were increased from 5 per cent to 12 per cent under the new policy.
The agencies have alleged that the new policy resulted in cartelisation and those ineligible for liquor
licences were favoured for monetary benefits. However, the Delhi government and Sisodia have denied
any wrongdoing and said the new policy would have led to an increase in Delhi’s revenue share. (PTI)
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