Excise scam: Court reserves verdict on Sisodia’s bail plea in money laundering case for April 26

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) A Delhi court on Tuesday reserved its order on the bail application of AAP leader Manish Sisodia, arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, for April 26.

Special Judge M K Nagpal reserved the order after hearing arguments on his application seeking relief claiming his custody is no longer required for investigation.

The ED opposed the application, asserting the investigation was at a “crucial” stage and claiming the former Delhi deputy chief minister had planted fabricated e-mails to show there was public approval for the policy. The federal anti-money laundering agency also said it has found fresh evidence of his complicity in the alleged crime.

Special Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta, appearing for the ED, told the judge the agency is likely to file a supplementary charge sheet against Sisodia and co-accused Arun Pillai and Amandeep Dhal by the end of this month.

The court had on Monday extended till April 29 Sisodia’s judicial custody in the money laundering cases lodged by the ED.

It also extended his custody till April 27 in the corruption case related to the alleged scam being probed by the CBI.

The court had on March 31 dismissed Sisodia’s bail application in the corruption case, saying he was “prima facie the architect” in the criminal conspiracy behind alleged payment of advance kickbacks of around Rs 90-100 crore meant for him and his colleagues in the Delhi government.

The court had observed the release of the senior AAP leader, at the moment, will “adversely affect the ongoing investigation”.

The CBI and the ED had arrested Sisodia for alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and for laundering the money so generated.