Delhi Excise Policy Case: SC To Deliver Verdict On Manish Sisodia's Bail Pleas On Friday

The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict regarding the bail pleas filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Friday. Sisodia, who was the former deputy chief minister of Delhi, is facing corruption and money laundering charges linked to the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

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Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in the money laundering case stemming from the CBI's FIR on March 9, 2023. He subsequently resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.

In his bail pleas, Sisodia has argued that he has been in custody for 17 months, and the trial against him has not yet commenced. The CBI and ED have opposed his bail applications, stating that there are a total of 493 witnesses in both cases.

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During the arguments, the Supreme Court had raised concerns about the timeline for the conclusion of the trial, asking the probe agencies where they see the "end of the tunnel" in these cases. The court had also sought responses from the CBI and the ED regarding Sisodia's bail pleas.

Sisodia had previously approached the Supreme Court to challenge the Delhi High Court's order from May 21, which had dismissed his bail pleas. Before this, he had challenged in the high court a trial court's April 30 order rejecting his bail applications in the two cases.

(With Agency Inputs)