NI Bureau
The Supreme Court has granted bail to Manish Sisodia, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who had been in custody for 17 months following his arrest on charges of corruption and money laundering related to the Delhi excise policy case. The Court, highlighting the importance of the right to a speedy trial, overturned the Delhi High Court’s previous decision to deny bail. Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan, in their ruling, stated, “Appeal allowed. Delhi High Court order is quashed and also set aside. He is granted bail in both the ED and CBI cases,” with bail being granted on a bond of Rs. 2 lakh.
As part of the conditions for his release, Sisodia must surrender his passport and is prohibited from influencing witnesses. He is also required to report to the Investigating Officer twice a week, specifically on Mondays and Thursdays.
The Supreme Court rejected the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) request to impose further restrictions on Sisodia, such as barring him from visiting the Delhi Secretariat or the Chief Minister’s office—restrictions similar to those imposed on CM Kejriwal during his interim bail during election for campaigning.
The Court’s decision came after extensive hearings on Sisodia’s appeal against the Delhi High Court’s refusal to grant him bail in the cases being pursued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the investigative agencies, raised concerns that Sisodia could potentially influence key witnesses and noted evidence that he had destroyed phone records. Raju also criticized Sisodia for filing numerous miscellaneous applications related to irrelevant documents, which he claimed had unnecessarily delayed the trial.
In contrast, Senior Advocate A.M. Singhvi, representing Sisodia, argued that his client had already spent 17 months in custody, which constitutes nearly half of the minimum possible sentence if convicted.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, over alleged irregularities in the 2021-22 Delhi excise policy, followed by his arrest by the ED on March 9, 2023, on charges of money laundering. Formerly serving as Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister, Sisodia resigned from his position on February 28, 2023. He sought bail on the grounds that his prolonged detention was unjustified, as the trial had yet to begin.
