The Supreme Court on October 30 dismissed the bail application of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case.
The SC said the orders’ trial would be completed within six to eight months, and if the trial proceeds sloppily, Mr. Sisodia will be entitled to apply for bail.
The order was delivered by a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and S.V.N. Bhatti.
Recently the SC reserved the judgment on the bail pleas of Mr. Sisodia in liquor policy irregularities cases.
Mr. Sisodia had moved the Supreme Court for bail in CBI and ED cases related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy case. He challenged the Delhi HC order rejecting his bail plea.
Mr. Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 for his alleged role in the “scam”. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has been in custody since then.
The ED arrested Mr. Sisodia in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9 after questioning him in the Tihar jail.
Mr. Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28.
The High Court denied him bail in the CBI case on May 30, saying having been the Deputy Chief Minister and Excise Minister, he is a “high-profile” person who has the potential to influence the witnesses.
On July 3, the High Court declined his bail in the money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the city government’s excise policy, holding that the charges against him are “very serious in nature”.
The Delhi government had implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. According to the investigating agencies, the profit margins of wholesalers were increased from 5 to 12% under the new policy.
The agencies have alleged that the new policy resulted in cartelisation and those ineligible for liquor licences were favoured for monetary benefits.
However, the Delhi government and Mr. Sisodia have denied any wrongdoing and said the new policy would have led to an increase in the State’s revenue share.
(With inputs from agencies)