The Supreme Court on Wednesday relaxed the bail conditions of AAP leader Manish Sisodia, removing the requirement for him to report to the investigating officer twice a week in the corruption and money laundering cases related to the Delhi excise policy, reports PTI.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan ruled that the reporting conditions were unnecessary, adding that Sisodia must “regularly attend the trial.”
The court had previously agreed to hear Sisodia’s pleas on November 22 and issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking their responses to the applications.
Sisodia was granted bail by the Supreme Court on August 9 in the corruption and money laundering cases tied to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. The court noted that his 17-month incarceration without trial had deprived him of his right to a speedy trial.
At the time, the court had imposed conditions, including reporting to the investigating officer every Monday and Thursday between 10 and 11 a.m. During a hearing on November 22, Sisodia’s lawyer, Abhishek Singhvi, said that the former Delhi deputy chief minister had already appeared before investigators 60 times.
Sisodia was arrested by both the CBI and ED in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. The CBI arrested him on February 26, 2023, over alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. The ED arrested him the following month in connection with the money laundering case stemming from the CBI’s investigation. Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.
He has denied the allegations against him.
In its August ruling, the Supreme Court emphasized that “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” and criticized the lengthy delay in the trial. The court also ordered Sisodia to submit a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh with two sureties of the same amount and directed him to surrender his passport and avoid influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.
The Delhi High Court had previously denied Sisodia’s bail pleas, but the Supreme Court overruled that decision. The CBI and ED had opposed his release on bail.