Supreme Court notice to CBI, ED on Manish Sisodia's bail relaxation plea
The Supreme Court had granted bail to Manish Sisodia in August in both ED and CBI cases related to the Delhi liquor excise policy.
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia's plea seeking relaxation of bail conditions in the Delhi liquor excise policy case.
Manish Sisodia was released on bail by the Supreme Court in August after a 17-month-long stint in jail.
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A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan had granted Manish Sisodia bail on the condition that he submit a bail bond of ₹10 lakh, surrender his passport and report to an investigating officer on Mondays and Thursdays between 10 -11 am.
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Sisodia submitted a plea to the Supreme Court calling for the relaxation of visits with an investigating officer twice a week.
The bench issued a notice to the investigation agencies involved and stated that a decision would be taken at a hearing two weeks from today, reported Bar and Bench.
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"He is a respectable person. He has already appeared 60 times. There is no such condition for any other accused," senior advocate AM Singhvi argued on behalf of the AAP leader.
The CBI arrested Sisodia under the Prevention of Corruption Act on February 26, 2023, and the ED arrested him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on March 9.
The CBI accused the senior AAP leader of being “instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority to extend undue favours to the licensee post tender”.
The ED alleged that Sisodia had received kickbacks from the excise policy to fund the AAP's 2022 Punjab election campaign.
His initial bail plea was rejected by a trial court and by the Delhi high court. The Supreme Court in August had stated that Sisodia had been deprived of the right to speedy bail, which was a “travesty of justice”.
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