Excise policy cases: Interim bail pleas of Sisodia to be heard on September 4
NEW DELHI,AUG 4 : Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who represented Sisodia in the court, informed the bench about the current medical condition of Sisodia’s wife. “It’s a progressive disease. There are relapses. She has been in the hospital since April,” he said.
He said Sisodia’s wife was living with an even older mother and that her son was living in the US.
“Let him (Sisodia) go home for a couple of weeks to take care of her,” Singhvi said.
To this, Justice Khanna replied, “We will take it up when we hear the regular bail.”
On July 14, the Supreme Court sought responses of the CBI and the ED on the interim bail pleas of Sisodia in the matter.
Sisodia, who held the excise portfolio among the many that he handled as the deputy chief minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the “scam”. He has been in custody since then.
The ED arrested him in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9 after questioning him in Tihar Jail.
Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28.
The Delhi High Court had denied Sisodia bail in the CBI case on May 30, saying having been the deputy chief minister and excise minister, he was a “high-profile” person who had the potential to influence the witnesses.
On July 3, the high court declined him bail in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the city government’s excise policy, holding that the charges against him were “very serious in nature”.
In its May 30 order, the high court had ruled that since Sisodia was at the “helm of affairs” when the alleged scam took place, he cannot say he had no role to play.
According to the two federal investigative agencies, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to licence holders.
The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021 but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.
-PTI
