Sisodia withdraws interim bail pleas pending before Delhi high court

Additional solicitor-general SV Raju, who appeared for the CBI, objected to the withdrawal calling it malafide

Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday withdrew his interim bail pleas pending before the Delhi high court as the order in connection with his regular bail plea in one of the cases he faces has been reserved.

Manish Sisodia. (PTI)

Sisodia, who was arrested in February over alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy case, filed pleas for six-week interim bail to look after his ailing wife. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are probing cases against him.

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma permitted Sisodia to withdraw the pleas after senior advocate Mohit Mathur, representing the Aam Aadmi Party leader, told the court about the reserved order. Mathur said the condition of Sisodia’s wife has also improved.

Additional solicitor-general SV Raju, who appeared for the CBI, objected to the withdrawal calling it malafide. “They are withdrawing the interim bail pleas after it was pointed out that Sisodia’s lawyers were suppressing facts. ED told the court that his wife was discharged from the hospital when Sisodia moved an application for interim bail citing her health condition.”

The court did not get into the merits of the submission. “Since the order on the main bail application [in the CBI case] has been reserved and the fact that the condition of the wife of the petitioner is stable, he does not want the present interim bail application.”

Sisodia’s wife, who is suffering from multiple sclerosis, was hospitalised after her condition worsened.

The CBI opposed Sisodia’s bail saying he is an influential person. It called Sisodia the kingpin and architect of the alleged excise policy scam.

Raju accused Sisodia of suppressing facts in his interim bail plea saying he filed the application after his wife was discharged.

On Wednesday, Mathur continued his arguments for Sisodia’s bail in the ED case, saying conjectures and surmises of the prosecution cannot make a case. The arguments will continue on Friday when the ED is likely to start its arguments.