The Supreme Court has denied bail to Manish Sisodia, former Delhi deputy chief minister, in a case related to an alleged excise policy scam. Sisodia has been in custody since February 26 and the court directed that the trial procedure be concluded within six to eight months. If the trial proceeds slowly, Sisodia can re-apply for bail at a later stage. The court also emphasized the need to uphold protection granted under the law and stated that the case cannot proceed based on assumptions.
New Delhi :Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s bail pleas have been rejected by the Supreme Court in a case related to an alleged excise policy scam. Sisodia has been in custody since his arrest by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged involvement in the scam.
The bail pleas were heard by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, who directed that the trial procedure in the case be concluded within six to eight months. The court stated that if the trial proceeds slowly, Sisodia can re-apply for bail at a later stage.
One interesting point mentioned by the court is that the bribe allegedly paid for tweaking the excise policy may not be part of the predicate offense, making it difficult to prove the money-laundering case against Sisodia. The court emphasized the need to uphold any protection granted under the law and stated that the case cannot proceed based on assumptions.
This is not the first time Sisodia has been denied bail. The high court previously rejected his bail plea, deeming the charges against him to be serious in nature. The Supreme Court had also rejected his bail plea on May 30, citing his high-profile status and potential influence on witnesses.
The trial procedure in the case is expected to be concluded within the next six to eight months. If the trial proceeds slowly, Sisodia will have the opportunity to re-apply for bail. The court did not delve into the legal questions of the case, leaving room for further discussion in the future.