Excise “scam”: Delhi court holds judgement on AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s bail requests

The CBI and the ED filed bail requests for AAP leader Manish Sisodia in corruption and money laundering charges related to the purported Delhi excise policy case, and a judge in this city postponed making a decision on the requests on Saturday.

After hearing arguments from the federal investigative agencies and the attorney representing Sisodia, special judge for the CBI and ED Kaveri Baweja set aside the judgment till April 30.

The leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had also filed temporary bail requests in both instances in order to promote the impending Lok Sabha elections.

But Sisodia’s attorney informed the court today that because the standard bail plea is being withheld, the plea has become infructuous.

Both the CBI and the ED have claimed that irregularities were made while changing the Delhi Excise Policy, that license fees were waived or lowered, that licenses were extended without the consent of the appropriate authorities, and that undue favors were given to license holders.

The investigating authorities have claimed that in order to avoid discovery, the beneficiaries reportedly transferred “illegal” income to the accused officials and created fake entries in their books of account.

On February 26, 2023, Sisodia was taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) due to his purported involvement in the “scam”. In a money-laundering case resulting from the CBI FIR, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detained the former deputy chief minister on March 9, 2023.

The Delhi cabinet was resigned by Sisodia on February 28, 2023.