On Tuesday, May 7, the Rouse Avenue Court extended the custody of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) matter concerning the alleged excise policy scam. According to news agency ANI, the court has scheduled May 15 for further arguments regarding the framing of charges in the case.
This development follows the recent issuance of notices by the Delhi High Court to the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding Sisodia’s bail plea in the ongoing cases against him. Justice Swarna Kanti Sharma’s bench at the Delhi High Court has summoned responses from both agencies and set the hearing for May 8. Additionally, the High Court has granted Sisodia permission to meet his wife once a week while in custody, while also upholding the trial court’s decision to allow custody parole.
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Sisodia has appealed to the High Court against the Rouse Avenue Court’s order dated April 30, 2024, which resulted in the dismissal of his bail pleas in the two cases. The court, while rejecting his bail pleas, deemed the current stage inappropriate for granting bail.
Furthermore, the Rouse Avenue Court dismissed Sisodia’s argument regarding the slow progress of proceedings in the case, expressing reluctance to grant him regular or interim bail at this juncture.
On February 26, 2023, Sisodia was arrested by the CBI following nearly eight hours of interrogation. As a former Delhi Deputy CM and a close associate of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, he faces corruption charges related to the Delhi liquor case, specifically concerning the now-defunct Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
