Excise scam: Delhi court to pass order on Sisodia’s bail plea on Friday

New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) A court here is likely to deliver on April 28 its order on the bail application of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

Special Judge M K Nagpal, who was scheduled to pronounce the verdict on Wednesday, deferred the matter, saying the order was not ready.

https://www.upsc.gov.in/FR-CSM-22-engl-230523.pdf

The court had reserved the order after hearing arguments on Sisodia’s plea seeking relief claiming that his custody was no longer required for investigation.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the application, asserting the investigation was at a “crucial” stage and claiming the senior AAP leader had planted fabricated e-mails to show there was public approval for the policy.

The federal agency had also said it has found fresh evidence of his complicity in the alleged crime.

The court had on March 31 dismissed Sisodia’s bail application in the corruption case, being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), 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.

https://www.upsc.gov.in/FR-CSM-22-engl-230523.pdf

The court had observed the release of Sisodia, 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.