Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday postponed the hearing of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s bail plea in the Delhi excise policy case to next week. The adjournment came after Justice Sanjay Kumar recused himself from the case for personal reasons.
The hearing, initially scheduled for July 11, was to be conducted by a bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Karol, and Sanjay Kumar. However, with Justice Kumar stepping down, the case will now be reassigned to a different bench where he is not a member.
Justice Khanna addressed the court, stating, “Our brother has some difficulty. He will not like to hear this matter for personal reasons.” Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), urged the court to expedite the listing of the matter, emphasizing the urgency as the trial has yet to commence in both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases.
The Supreme Court bench confirmed that the case would be taken up by another bench on July 15. This development follows the court’s earlier refusal on June 4 to entertain Sisodia’s bail pleas in the CBI and ED cases related to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.
Manish Sisodia had previously approached the Supreme Court, challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision on May 21, which dismissed his bail pleas in both central agency investigations. He also contested a trial court’s April 30 order that rejected his bail applications concerning alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.
Last year, on October 30, the Supreme Court denied bail to Sisodia in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the Delhi excise policy. The court cited evidence tentatively supporting accusations of “windfall gains” of ?338 crore to wholesale liquor dealers.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, for his alleged involvement in the liquor policy case, followed by his arrest by the ED on March 9, 2023, on money laundering charges stemming from the CBI FIR. He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.
