New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Wednesday relaxed bail conditions imposed on AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia which required him to appear before the investigating officer on every Monday and Thursday in the liquor policy 'scam' case.
The matter came up before a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Vishwanathan. The bench modified the previous order, saying that the condition was not necessary. However, the bench made it clear that Sisodia should attend the trial court regularly. Senior advocate A M Singhvi represented Sisodia before the apex court.
Sisodia had moved the apex court seeking relaxation of the bail conditions. The apex court on August 9, 2024, had granted bail to Sisodia in both CBI and ED cases after having noted that the delay in trial and prolonged incarceration affected his right to liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. The apex court had set aside the Delhi High Court, which refused to entertain Sisodia’s bail plea.
As a condition for bail, Sisodia was asked to appear before the investigating officer every Monday and Thursday between 10 am to 11 am. The apex court on November 22 agreed to hear Sisodia's pleas and issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking their responses on the applications. During the hearing, Singhvi had said the AAP leader had appeared before the investigating officers 60 times.
The former Delhi deputy chief minister was arrested by both the CBI and the ED in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
He was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023 for purported irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22. The following month, the ED arrested him in the money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023. He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.
Sisodia has denied the allegations. In its August 9 verdict granting bail to Sisodia in both the cases, the apex court had said it was high time that the trial courts and the high courts should recognise the principle that "bail is rule and jail is exception".
"We find that, on account of a long period of incarceration running for around 17 months and the trial even not having been commenced, the appellant (Sisodia) has been deprived of his right to speedy trial," it had said. The top court had directed him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh with two sureties of the like amount.
It had directed that Sisodia shall surrender his passport with the special court and not make any attempt either to influence the witnesses or to tamper with the evidence. The apex court had set aside the May 21 verdict of the Delhi High Court, which had dismissed Sisodia's pleas seeking bail in both these cases. The ED and the CBI had opposed his bail pleas. (With Agency inputs)
