’Manish Sisodia powerful, may influence material witnesses’: Delhi HC rejects AAP leader’s bail plea

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia in cases related to the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy. The high court said Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi, was a very powerful and influential person within the state government's power corridors and could influence witnesses in the case.

The high court also said there was no delay on the part of the prosecution in presenting the documents and the trial court in framing charges against Manish Sisodia. 

The Delhi High Court said Manish Sisodia allegedly indulged in the destruction of crucial evidence, including electronic evidence. The possibility of Sisodia influencing material witnesses cannot be ruled out, the court said. 

“The material collected showed Sisodia subverted the process of excise policy by fabricating public feedback to suit his predetermined goal,” the Delhi HC said. 

“This court is of the view that there has been no delay on the part of the prosecution to supply the documents and on the part of the trial court regarding argument on charge. It is not the fault of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the trial court that there was a voluminous record of investigation,” the court said.

The high court on May 14 reserved its order on the pleas after hearing arguments on behalf of the AAP leader, the CBI and the ED.

Sisodia has challenged a trial court’s April 30 order by which his bail pleas were rejected.

The trial court had dismissed Manish Sisodia's bail pleas in the corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the ED, respectively, in connection with alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.

Meanwhile, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja on Tuesday extended Sisodia's judicial custody till May 31 in the money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

The ED had on March 9 last year arrested the former deputy chief minister of Delhi.

Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI earlier over his role in the alleged liquor scam.

(With PTI inputs)