GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court has granted regular bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia in cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) related to the now-defunct excise policy.
Sisodia, who has been in jail for 17 months, will soon be released.
A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan emphasised that it would be unjust to require him to seek bail from the trial court in these matters. The court ordered Sisodia to provide a bail bond of ₹10 lakh along with two sureties, surrender his passport, and report to the Investigating Officer twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. The court also instructed him not to attempt to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence.
The Supreme Court had reserved its decision on August 6 and rejected the ED's request to prevent Sisodia from visiting the Delhi secretariat or the chief minister’s office. The CBI and ED had argued that Sisodia should first seek bail from the trial court. This was the third time Sisodia had approached the Supreme Court for bail; his previous request was denied on October 30 last year, although the court allowed for the possibility of renewing his plea if the trial was delayed.
As the trial did not commence within six months, Sisodia sought bail on the grounds of delay, but the Delhi High Court denied his request on May 21. He then approached the Supreme Court in June, but the court declined to examine the merits of the case, noting that the ED planned to file its charge sheet by July 3. Last month, Sisodia submitted his third bail plea, challenging the High Court's May 21 decision.
Manish Sisodia was arrested in February 2023 by the CBI, followed by the ED a month later, after a case was initiated based on a complaint by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in July 2022, alleging irregularities in the excise policy. In addition to Sisodia, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and AAP MP Sanjay Singh were also arrested in connection with the ED's investigation.
While Singh is out on bail, the Delhi CM is in judicial custody in Tihar Jail. The CBI’s FIR accused Sisodia of playing a key role in recommending and making decisions related to the 2021-22 excise policy without obtaining approval from the competent authority, allegedly to provide undue favors to a licensee post-tender. The ED’s case against Sisodia claims that kickbacks from the excise policy were used to finance the Aam Aadmi Party's 2022 Punjab election campaign.