Excise policy scam: Sisodia moves Delhi court for bail

On Tuesday, Sisodia challenged the order of the trial court before the Supreme Court, but the apex court refused to intervene, pointing out that he had sufficient legal remedies to exhaust before approaching the top court

New Delhi: Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over alleged irregularities in the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy, on Friday moved a bail application in court, officials aware of the matter said, adding that the hearing in the case has been listed for Saturday.

Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by CBI in Delhi liquor scam earlier this week (ANI Photo)

Sisodia, who also held the excise portfolio, was arrested on Sunday after an eight-hour examination on allegations of his alleged involvement in the framing and implementation of the liquor excise policy. He was produced before special judge MK Nagpal on Monday, with the agency submitting that he had been non-cooperative during the investigation and had been giving evasive replies.

Following the agency’s submission, Sisodia was sent to five days’ custody of the CBI.

On Tuesday, Sisodia challenged the order of the trial court before the Supreme Court, but the apex court refused to intervene, pointing out that he had sufficient legal remedies to exhaust before approaching the top court.

“.....you have full alternate remedies available (but) you have come directly to this court against arrest and for bail. How do we entertain it here?” the Supreme Court had observed.

Sisodia is scheduled to be produced before the Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday as his five-day CBI custody comes to an end. His bail application has also been listed for hearing on Saturday, and would be taken up by the court if the CBI does not seek his further custody remand.

HT reached out to Sisodia’s legal team for a comment, but they did not respond to queries.

The Delhi government’s 2021-22 excise policy aimed to revitalise the city’s flagging liquor business. It aimed to replace a sales-volume based regime with a licence fee-based one for traders, and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. The policy also introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor, a first for Delhi.

The plan, however, came to an abrupt end, with Delhi’s lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommending a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the regime. This ultimately resulted in the policy being scrapped prematurely and being replaced by the 2020-21 regime, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that Saxena’s predecessor sabotaged the move with a few last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues.