Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday moved Supreme Court, challenging the Delhi High Court order that denied him bail in both Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases pertaining to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, reports ANI.
Sisodia was first arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning, and later by the ED for alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of the 2021-22 excise policy.
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a bail plea of the AAP leader, along with similar petitions of the former AAP communication in-charge Vijay Nair, Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally, and manager of liquor firm Pernod Binoy Babu Binoy, in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.
On May 30, the Delhi High Court had dismissed his bail plea observing that the allegations against him are very serious in nature.
“In view of the discussion made, the allegations are very serious in nature that the excise policy was formed at the instance of the South group with malafide intention to give undue advantage to them. Such an act points towards the misconduct of the applicant who was admittedly a public servant and was holding a very high position,” Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma had then said.
The ED arrested Sisodia, currently in judicial custody, on March 9. His bail plea in the money laundering case was dismissed by the trial court, and the case is being heard in the high court.
The CBI has alleged that the Delhi excise policy was manipulated to favour cartelisation and monopolisation in liquor trade in the national capital, and the former deputy CM and Nair were the main conspirators. The probe agency alleged that Sisodia was the “kingpin and the architect of the conspiracy”.
Meanwhile, the ED is investigating alleged irregularities in the implementation of the now-scrapped policy, and the case stems from the CBI FIR.