SC Grants Bail to Manish Sisodia: In a major relief for former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia in the excise policy case.

The top court allowed the bail applications filed by Sisodia in both the CBI and ED cases considering the delay in commencing the trial in the liquor policy case.

He will be walking out of jail after over 17 months. Sisodia was arrested on February 26, 2023, by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and was later arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9, 2023. He has been incarcerated in Tihar Jail since.

Noting that Sisodia was in prison for 17 months, a bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan said the AAP leader was deprived of the right to speedy trial, Live Law reported.

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

“We find that on account of long incarceration running around 17 months and trial having not been commenced, the appellant has been deprived of the right to speedy trial…,” the Court observed.

The Court noted that there is no remotest possibility of trial being completed in the near future considering that there are over 400 witnesses and thousands of documents. To keep Sisodia under custody in such a scenario would result in grave violation of the fundamental right to personal liberty, according to Live Law.

After the judgment was pronounced, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju requested the Court to impose certain conditions akin to those imposed in the Arvind Kejriwal case – that he should not visit the Chief Minister’s office or the Delhi Secretariat. However, the bench rejected this request.

Also Read: Excise policy case: Jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia moves Delhi HC over bail in ED, CBI cases

In addition to this, rejecting the submission of ED and CBI that Sisodia should approach the trial court for bail, the Supreme Court observed that it would amount to making him play a game of “snake and ladder”, if he is relegated to the trial court again and then to the High Court for seeking bail. A citizen cannot be made to run from pillar to post for personal liberty, the bench observed, Live Law reported.

Manish Sisodia had filed two separate petitions seeking bail – one, in the case registered by the CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the other, in the case registered by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He was first arrested by CBI and ED on February 26 and March 9 last year, respectively.

Sisodia is the second AAP leader after Sanjay Singh to be granted bail by the Supreme Court in the excise policy case. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the ED case. However, he is in custody in the CBI case.