Delhi liquor policy case: Manish Sisodia appeals to Delhi High Court over bail denial order

PTC News Desk: Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Manish Sisodia, has taken his legal battle to the Delhi High Court after being denied bail by a special court in cases related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

Sisodia’s plea, presented by advocate Rajat Bharadwaj before a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora, emphasises the urgency of the matter, citing ongoing elections. The court has agreed to hear the case on Friday.

The denial of bail came on Tuesday from a city court in a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which accused Sisodia, along with others, of contributing to delays in court proceedings concerning the excise policy. The court’s order, made available on Wednesday, criticised Sisodia’s repeated filings and oral submissions as efforts to cause delay in the trial.

Despite Sisodia’s claims of entitlement to bail as per a Supreme Court order, the special judge, Kaveri Baweja, dismissed his arguments, asserting that the case’s progression did not warrant the label of a “snail’s pace” and attributing any delays to reasons attributable to Sisodia.

Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, on allegations of recovering incriminating evidence related to the case. Subsequently, he was remanded to Tihar Jail by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, before being arrested by the ED on March 9, 2023, in connection with a separate probe into alleged money laundering associated with the excise policy.

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