The Delhi High Court denied bail pleas on Tuesday from former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is facing money laundering and corruption allegations brought forward by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). These charges are in relation to the New Delhi excise policy scandal.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma led the bench and announced that the bail request from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was not justified at this stage. The court claimed that Sisodia failed to provide satisfactory evidence to aid his defence. The judges added that corruption in this case stemmed from the applicant (Sisodia) attempting to devise policy, and cited such actions as a serious misuse of power, breaking public trust.
This decision follows the labeling of AAP as an accused entity in the supplementary charge sheet by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The accusations refer to various money laundering activities, corruption, and irregularities in the creation and implementation of the excise policy.
The former deputy CM has been implicated of modifying the 2021 Delhi excise policy to benefit a particular group of liquor vendors, known as the “South Group”. Sisodia was first apprehended by the CBI in February 2023, and then again by the ED in March the same year. The ED’s chargesheet labelled Sisodia as a key detractor in the scandal.
After his arrest, Sisodia stepped down from Delhi’s government on February 28 of 2023. His bail requests were rejected by the Delhi High Court in both ED and CBI cases on May 30 and July 3 of that year.
An appeal in the cases brought forth by Sisodia was denied by the Supreme Court of India. The court refused to overturn the High Court’s decision on October 30, 2023. They concurred with the claim made by investigating agencies that a handful of wholesale spirits distributors had obtained “windfall gains” of Rs 338 crore, which was “tentatively supported” by material evidence and proof.
The controversial New Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 was enacted by the Delhi government on November 17, 2021. The policy aimed to maximize state revenue and curb the sale of counterfeit alcohol. However, due to corruption allegations, the policy was revoked in September 2022.