The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in response to a petition filed by AAP leader Manish Sisodia. Sisodia is challenging a Delhi High Court order that rejected his bail plea in connection with an excise policy money laundering case. A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai, Sanjay Karol, and K.V. Viswanathan sought a response from the ED and scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 29.
This development comes after a previous hearing on July 11, where Justice Sanjay Kumar recused himself from hearing Sisodia’s petition seeking the revival of his bail plea. Subsequently, the matter was adjourned by a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The Supreme Court has now directed that the matter be listed before an appropriate bench this week, ensuring that none of the original judges are involved.
During a hearing on Thursday, Justice Khanna stated that Justice Kumar would prefer not to hear the case due to personal reasons. Sisodia’s petition to the Supreme Court seeks the revival of his bail plea and addresses the delay in the commencement of the trial in the excise policy case. Sisodia’s legal team has pointed to a June 4 order by the Supreme Court, where the ED stated that the investigation into the excise policy case would be concluded, and a final complaint or charge sheet would be filed by July 3, 2024. This order also granted Sisodia the liberty to revive his bail application after the filing of the final complaint.
Sisodia’s current application aims to revive his challenge against the Delhi High Court’s order dismissing his bail plea. The Chief Justice of India assured Sisodia’s counsel that the court would look into the matter and asked for any technical defects to be rectified.
In February 2023, Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of Delhi’s new excise policy. The policy was subsequently withdrawn amidst allegations of foul play from the opposition. Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, is currently in judicial custody. According to the CBI, Sisodia played a crucial role in the alleged criminal conspiracy surrounding the excise policy, being deeply involved in both its formulation and implementation.
