Delhi liquor scam: Manish Sisodia’s bail pleas dismissed by Supreme Court | The case so far

The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is facing money laundering and corruption charges in the liquor policy scam.

A Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, which reserved the verdict on October 17, pronounced the judgment on Monday morning. During the hearing, Justice Khanna had questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about establishing an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) without a bribery charge against Sisodia, represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Also Read:Supreme Court rejects Manish Sisodia’s bail plea in Delhi excise policy case

Sisodia is currently in custody in connection with an alleged corruption and money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam.

The case so far:

On October 17, the Supreme Court reserved its decision on the bail petitions filed by Sisodia after hearing arguments from senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who represented the former Deputy Chief Minister, and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, who had appeared for the CBI and the ED.

Also Read:Delhi excise policy case: Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody extended till November 22

Earlier on July 3, the Delhi High Court denied him bail in the money-laundering case filed by the ED related to alleged irregularities in the city government’s excise policy, stating that the charges against him were “very serious.”

Before that, the high court had denied him bail in the CBI case on May 30, citing his status as a “high-profile” individual with the potential to influence witnesses.

Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 for his alleged involvement in the “scam.” The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has remained in custody since then.

The ED arrested Sisodia in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9 after questioning him in Tihar jail.

Manish Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28. He was handling 18 portfolios at the time, including the Excise Department.

The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid corruption allegations. According to the investigating agencies, the profit margins of wholesalers were increased from 5 to 12 per cent under the new policy.