Relief for AAP: Manish Sisodia has been Granted Bail by the Supreme Court
Delhi Liquor Policy Corruption Case: 17 months behind bars and now granted bail.
Image Credits: India Today
The Supreme Court granted regular bail to the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, on Friday morning. He was arrested by the CBI in connection with the liquor policy corruption case almost 17 months ago. He was granted bail with certain conditions in the case registered against him by the CBI and ED. The bench, comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan, delivered the verdict.
The new liquor policy was implemented on November 17, 2021. When the corruption allegation was raised, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena ordered an investigation. When it became controversial, the New Liquor Policy was withdrawn on July 31, 2022. On August 17, 2022, a case was registered against Manish Sisodia and others. Subsequently, Manish Sisodia was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and later arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023.
The FIR and case registered by CBI state that Sisodia was involved in making excise policy decisions for 2021–22 without proper approval to give undue favors to the licensee post-tender, and the case filed by CBI states that he is accused of diverting kickbacks from the excise policy to fund the Aam Aadmi Party’s 2022 Punjab election campaign.
The top court noted that Mr. Sisodia has been in prison for the past 17 months and also highlighted the delay in the trial concerning the liquor policy case. The Supreme Court also pointed out that he was deprived of the right to a speedy trial. The court noted 495 witnesses and thousands of documents, making it unlikely for the trial to conclude soon. Keeping Sisodia under custody indefinitely would violate the fundamental right to personal liberty under Article 21, and thus he was granted bail.
Manish Sisodia has been instructed by the court to report to the investigating officers twice a week, on Monday and Thursday. He must surrender his passport, provide a bail bond of ₹10 lakh, and present two sureties. Additionally, he is prohibited from attempting to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence. The bench also refused to restrict Manish Sisodia from visiting the Delhi Secretariat or the Chief Minister’s office, similar to when Arvind Kejriwal was granted interim bail for election campaigning.
Although Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is still in custody, the bail granted to Manish Sisodia comes as a relief for the AAP party. The highest court reserved its order in the case on August 6.
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