Sisodia denied bail, but gets Delhi HC’s nod to visit ailing wife

The court said that the charges against the former Delhi deputy chief minister were “extremely serious”

Rejecting the interim bail plea of jailed former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case, the Delhi high court on Monday said that the charges against him were “extremely serious”, even as it allowed him to meet his ailing wife on a day convenient for her.

AAP leader Manish Sisodia at his residence on June 3. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma said that Sisodia could be taken out of jail between 10am and 5pm to meet his wife and directed police to ensure that Sisodia does not interact with anyone, except his family, nor talk to reporters, and barred him from using a phone or the internet.

The court first allowed Sisodia to visit his wife on Saturday at his residence but the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader could not see her, as she was hospitalised shortly before he reached home.

On his decision to reject Sisodia’s interim bail in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case linked to the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy, justice Sharma underlined that the AAP leader was earlier the deputy chief minister.

“The court while dealing with such applications always is in a dilemma. On one hand, there are pressing humanitarian issues and at the same time, there are serious issues which go to the core of the administration of justice. The allegations in the present case are extremely serious in nature”.

“... this court cannot forget the positions being held by the petitioner in the present dispensation and the nature of the case.. Taking into account the totality of facts and circumstances, this court, therefore, finds it very difficult to persuade itself to release the petitioner on interim bail for six weeks,” justice Sharma said. Sisodia sought interim bail for six weeks on the ground that he needed to look after his ailing wife, Seema Sisodia.

On Monday, the HC also cited the medical report of Sisodia’s wife submitted by the LNJP hospital, and said that Seema Sisodia was conscious and her blood pressure and pulse rate were also stable. The court also suggested she be examined by a medical board constituted by the All India Institute for Medical Sciences for better treatment.

ED on Saturday opposed the request for interim bail, claiming that Seema Sisodia’s condition remained unchanged for the last 20 years and that there was a possibility that Sisodia could tamper with the evidence as some documents were allegedly removed from the office of special secretary, vigilance, after the top court’s ruling on the services department.

The agency also said that Sisodia’s wife was suffering from a degenerative disease for over two decades and releasing the former minister for six weeks will not make any difference to her. It also cited the 18 departments that Sisodia oversaw as a Delhi minister, saying he could not have been the sole caretaker because of his workload and that his mother-in-law looked after her.

Sisodia’s counsel refuted the argument, and said that the former deputy CM minister was his wife’s “only caretaker” and their “only son is studying abroad”.

The former Delhi excise minister, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, was arrested by ED on March 9.