The Supreme Court granted bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday concerning the Delhi excise policy scam cases
Sisodia was first taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, due to his alleged involvement in irregularities associated with the formulation and execution of the now-defunct Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. Following this, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him on March 9, 2023, in a money laundering case linked to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR).
Sisodia resigned from his role in the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.
Having been in detention for 17 months, Sisodia applied for bail, contending that the trial against him had not yet begun. However, both the ED and CBI opposed his bail applications.
During the proceedings, the Supreme Court asked the investigative agencies about the expected timeline for completing the trial. The court noted that there were 493 witnesses in total across both cases and sought clarity on how long the trial might take.
The legal representative for the agencies highlighted that there were eight key witnesses in each case and refuted Sisodia’s claim that the delay was caused by the investigative agencies.
On July 16, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Sisodia’s bail applications and sought responses from the CBI and ED. Before this, Sisodia had approached the apex court after the Delhi High Court rejected his bail requests on May 21, and a trial court denied his bail applications on April 30.
This rephrased version retains the essential details and presents the information in a clear and concise manner.
(With inputs from agency)
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