‘Allegations serious’: Delhi High Court denies bail to Manish Sisodia in excise policy case
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy case, observing that the applicant is a powerful person who could potentially influence witnesses.
A single judge bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma was hearing an application for bail filed by Sisodia in the case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation linked to the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
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“The allegations are very serious in nature. The accused was a public servant… We have not examined the excise policy nor the power of the government. However, the applicant being a powerful person, there is the possibility of him influencing the witnesses,” Bar and Bench quoted the court as saying while rejecting Sisodia’s bail plea.
Sisodia had moved the High Court after a trial court in Delhi rejected his bail plea on March 31. The trial court in its order held that Sisodia, who also held charge of the excise department, played the most important and vital role in the criminal conspiracy related to the alleged Delhi excise policy case.
It was the denial of relief from the trial court that led to Sisodia moving the High Court with his appeal.
Sisodia, arrested by the CBI on February 26, was later taken under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on March 9. Sisodia is accused of a conspiracy to grant liquor licenses to certain traders in exchange for bribes, an allegation that Sisodia and the Aam Aadmi Party have denied.
The case by the CBI and ED states that the excise policy was tweaked and the profit margins were changed in a manner that benefited certain traders and kickbacks were received in exchange for the same.
Sisodia has also moved the Delhi High Court seeking relief after the special court denied bail to Sisodia in the ED’s case. The rejection of bail to Sisodia today was in the CBI case.
(With inputs from Bar and Bench)