Supreme Court to Decide on Manish Sisodia’s Bail Plea in Excise Policy Case
New Delhi, India – The Supreme Court will deliver its decision on August 9 regarding AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s rejection of his bail plea in the excise policy irregularities cases. The decision will be made by a bench of justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan.
The court reserved its order after hearing arguments from both sides. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are probing the cases. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, representing the probe agencies, expressed concerns that witnesses might be influenced and accused Sisodia of destroying phone records and filing unrelated applications to delay the trial.
Senior Advocate AM Singhvi, representing Sisodia, argued that seventeen months have already passed, which is nearly half of the minimum possible sentence. He countered the allegations by stating that the profit margins were decided by the cabinet after discussions with many officials, including the then Lieutenant Governor (LG).
ASG Raju argued that Sisodia is deeply involved in the scam and is not an innocent person targeted for political reasons. He emphasized that Sisodia, as the Deputy Chief Minister with 18 portfolios, was responsible for all cabinet decisions.
On June 4, the Supreme Court allowed Sisodia to revive his bail plea after the final charge sheet is filed. Sisodia was arrested in February 2023 by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He is currently in judicial custody.
Doubts Revealed
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India. It makes important decisions about laws and justice.
Manish Sisodia -: Manish Sisodia is a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and was the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi.
Bail Plea -: A bail plea is a request to be released from jail while waiting for a trial or court decision.
Excise Policy Case -: This case involves rules about taxes on goods like alcohol. There are allegations of irregularities or wrongdoings in these rules.
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a lower court than the Supreme Court and deals with legal matters in Delhi.
CBI -: CBI stands for Central Bureau of Investigation. It is a top agency in India that investigates serious crimes.
ED -: ED stands for Enforcement Directorate. It investigates financial crimes like money laundering.
ASG SV Raju -: ASG stands for Additional Solicitor General. SV Raju is a lawyer who represents the government in court.
Judicial Custody -: Judicial custody means being kept in jail by the order of a court while waiting for a trial or court decision.
AM Singhvi -: AM Singhvi is a senior lawyer who is representing Manish Sisodia in court.
Cabinet -: The cabinet is a group of top leaders in the government who make important decisions.
