Sisodia is refused bail, but the Delhi High Court approves his visit to his unwell wife

The Delhi High Court rejected temporary release for imprisoned former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Monday, stating that the accusations against him were “extremely serious” despite allowing him to see his ill wife on a day that worked for her.

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma ordered police to make sure that Sisodia doesn’t connect with anybody but his family, speak to reporters, or use the phone or internet. He also said that Sisodia might be released from prison between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to see his wife.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was given permission by the court to see his wife on Saturday at his house, but he was unable to meet her since she had been admitted to the hospital just before he arrived.

Justice Sharma emphasised that the AAP leader had previously served as the deputy chief minister in his judgement to deny Sisodia’s request for temporary bail in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case involving the alleged anomalies in the Delhi excise policy.

“The court constantly faces a conundrum when dealing with such motions. On the one hand, there are urgent human rights concerns, and on the other, there are major problems that are fundamental to how justice is administered. The accusations made in this instance are of an exceedingly severe character.

“… this court cannot overlook the petitioner’s positions held in the current regime and the circumstances of the case. This court finds it very difficult to convince itself to release the petitioner on interim bail for six weeks after taking into consideration all of the relevant facts and circumstances, judge Sharma said. In order to care for his unwell wife Seema Sisodia, Sisodia requested interim bail for a period of six weeks.

In addition, the HC said on Monday that Seema Sisodia was cognizant and that both her blood pressure and pulse rate were steady, citing the medical report of Sisodia’s wife that had been provided by the LNJP hospital. In order to provide her with better care, the court further recommended that she be evaluated by a medical board established by the All India Institute for Medical Sciences.

The ED opposed the request for interim bail on Saturday, asserting that Seema Sisodia’s condition hasn’t changed in the past 20 years and that Sisodia might tamper with the evidence because some papers were purportedly taken from the office of the special secretary, vigilance, following the top court’s decision regarding the services department.

The agency said that Sisodia’s wife has had a degenerative ailment for more than 20 years and that Sisodia’s release from custody for six weeks would not have any impact on her condition. It also mentioned the 18 departments that Sisodia handled while serving as a minister in Delhi, claiming that due to his schedule and the fact that his mother-in-law cared for her, he was unable to serve as the only carer.

The argument was rejected by Sisodia’s attorney, who said that the former deputy CM minister was the “only caretaker” for his wife and that their “single son is studying abroad.”

The ED detained the former Delhi excise minister on March 9. He is now being held at Tihar prison.