Delhi court allows Manish Sisodia to allocate money from MLA fund for development work in constituency

Manish Sisodia has been permitted to allocate money from the MLA funds for undertaking development-related work in his constituency. His lawyer informed court that a similar application was approved in the past. Sisodia's application was not opposed by the CBI.

New Delhi:Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday granted permission to former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is in judicial custody in a money laundering case pertaining to now-scrapped excise policy scam, to release money from the MLA fund for undertaking development work in his Patparganj constituency.

Sisodia's lawyer informed the court that a similar plea had been approved in the past. Also, CBI did not oppose Sisodia's application. Special CBI Judge MK Nagpal listed the next hearing for the ongoing Delhi excise policy case on September 20.

Earlier on July 31, Sisodia had filed a plea in the court seeking permission to withdraw money from his bank account that had been seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Sisodia's lawyer told court that he needed the money to bear household expenditures along with the medical expenses of his wife but the bank is not allowing him to make any withdrawals. The court issued a notice to the ED seeking its response.

On August 4, Supreme Court deferred hearing of Sisodia's bail plea to September 4. Senior advocate Manu Singhvi, who appeared on Sisodia's behalf stated that the AAP leader should be granted interim bail as his wife was ill and he had to take care to his ageing mother. The court said that it would hear both the interim and regular bail pleas as well as asked the ED and CBI to provide details of the money trail.

Sisodia, who is in custody after being arrested by the CBI on February 26, is being questioned by both CBI and ED. The excise policy was scrapped in August 2022 and a CBI inquiry was ordered into the alleged irregularities. The AAP leader, who was the excise minister during his tenure of deputy chief minister had resigned from the Delhi Cabinet on February 28.