On Friday, the Supreme Court wanted the CBI and the ED to respond to a plea filed by AAP leader Manish Sisodia against the two agencies. It is made for a lighter bail condition that has been set on him in the Delhi liquor excise policy case.
The AAP leader, who was released by the Supreme Court on bail for charges later in August this year after spending 17 months in prison, had approached the court to seek changes to the terms. Earlier, a bench of BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan had put special conditions in place for his release from jail. These were the conditions – depositing a bail bond of ₹10 lakh, handing over his passport, and appearing before the investigating officer on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 AM to 11 AM.
“The latter isn’t the case,” Sisodia noted, “he has, for the second time,e prayed the court to relieve him of the obligation to visit the investigating officer twice a week, asserting his cooperation. AM Singhvi, Sisodia’s counsel, contended that his client is a respectable person and has been cooperating” with the investigating authorities more than sixty times. Singhvi also pointed out that none of the other accused incidents receive similar restrictions, if any.
The Supreme Court has asked the investigation agencies to reply to the two notices and observed that the case would be taken up again in two weeks.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act for the first time on February 26, 2023. He was arrested next by the ED on March 9 in connection with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The CBI has claimed in its chargesheet that Sisodia had a role in drafting and executing the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22 to provide excessive benefits to the licensees by avoiding the competent authority route after the tenders were awarded.
It remains to be seen that the case is still in focus because of the themes of governance, policy, and accountability in public administration.
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