AAP leader Manish Sisodia (Photo: commons.wikimedia)
A Delhi court on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia till May 30 in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise duty scam.
Sisodia is a suspect in the investigation regarding the alleged irregularities in the now scrapped alcohol excise policy in Delhi for 2021-2022. He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in February last year after an eight-hour interrogation in the case. A month later, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also arrested him in this case on March 9.
He is currently in pre-trial detention in both cases.
Delhi HC reserves order on Sisodia’s bail pleas
The Delhi Rouse Avenue court’s decision came a day after the Delhi High Court reserved judgment on both Sisodia’s bail pleas.
During the HC hearing, the ED also informed the court that it plans to name the AAP as an accused in the ongoing liquor policy ‘scam’ case. “The AAP will also be accused in the case and a supplementary chargesheet will be filed,” the agency told the court.
AAP rejects ED’s allegations
The AAP has dismissed the ED’s allegations as baseless. “The ED functions as a political wing of the BJP. From the very beginning of this bogus investigation, the intention was to trap the AAP,” the party said in a statement, alleging that the ruling dispensation had taken political revenge over the issue.
Kejriwal gets bail from SC
Notably, Delhi Chief Minister and Sisodia’s colleague Arvind Kejriwal were granted interim bail in the same case last Friday. The Supreme Court granted Kejriwal conditional bail till June 1 in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal, who has been campaigning for polls since his release, is not allowed to perform any official duties as per the court order.
The case concerns the excise tax policy, which was introduced in November 2021. The policy was scrapped in September 2022 after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the policy in May that year. .
First print: May 15, 2024 | 12:20 pm IST