Manish Sisodia, a former deputy chief minister of Delhi, was denied bail today by the Delhi High Court in a case brought by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concerning an alleged liquor policy fraud in the nation’s capital. While rejecting the bail request, Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma’s single-judge bench stated that the charges against Manish Sisodia are serious. According to sources, Mr. Sisodia would appeal this high court judgement to the Supreme Court.
When deciding on the bail request, the high court noted that Mr. Sisodia is a powerful figure and that it is not impossible that witnesses could be swayed by his release on bail.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader’s judicial custody was previously extended by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court until June 1 after it took cognizance of an additional charge sheet submitted by the CBI. The court also instructed the jail staff to consider giving the politician a chair, a table, and books inside the prison.
The CBI case relates to alleged irregularities in the formulation and application of the National Capital Territory of Delhi’s (GNCTD) excise policy. Manish Sisodia is accused of developing and implementing the Excise policy to encourage the monopolisation and cartelization of the spirits industry in Delhi.
CBI claims that the AAP leader admitted to destroying two phones which he was using before July 2022.
“The two handsets which were used prior to July 22, 2022, have been admittedly destroyed by accused Manish Sisodia as confirmed by him in his response to Notice under section 91 CrPC”, the probe agency has alleged.
The CBI asserted that between January 1, 2020, and August 19, 2022, Mr. Sisodia utilised three mobile phones.
During the investigations, the last phone he used was taken into custody.
On February 26, the CBI detained Mr. Sisodia in this case.
The excise policy was put into place by the Delhi administration on November 17, 2021, however it was abandoned at the end of September 2022 due to suspicions of corruption.
Manish Sisodia is a defendant in the cases brought up in this subject by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.
