[Breaking] Delhi Court Extends Manish Sisodia's Judicial Custody Till May 30 In Excise Policy Case

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Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody has been extended until May 30 in the Delhi excise policy case. The court proceedings regarding the framing of charges against Sisodia have been adjourned based on the directions of the Delhi High Court.

[Breaking] Delhi Court Extends Manish Sisodia's Judicial Custody till May 30 in Excise policy Case — [Breaking] Delhi Court Extends Manish Sisodia’s Judicial Custody till May 30 in Excise policy Case

NEW DELHI: Today (15th May): Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court extended the judicial custody of Manish Sisodia, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, until May 30 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The case, which involves the now-repealed Delhi liquor excise policy 2021-22, was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and named Manish Sisodia as one of the accused.

In a video conference hearing before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, Manish Sisodia’s custody was extended after the expiration of his previous judicial custody. The court also postponed the arguments on framing charges against Sisodia, following the directions issued by the Delhi High Court based on an appeal filed by one of the accused, Arun Pillai.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had previously arrested Manish Sisodia on March 9 last year in connection with the liquor policy case, which involves allegations of money laundering and corruption.

Recently, the Delhi High Court reserved its judgment on the bail pleas of Manish Sisodia in relation to the money laundering and corruption charges associated with the Delhi excise policy. The court’s decision is yet to be announced.

Background:

Manish Sisodia has faced two previous rejections of his bail petitions, with the trial court denying his first plea on March 31, 2023, and rejecting his second application in the ED case on April 28, 2024. The Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court have both upheld the trial court’s decisions.

On 26th April, a court extended the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia, Vijay Nair, and other co-accused until May 8, in connection with a money laundering case arising from the alleged Delhi excise policy scandal.

The court also issued directives to the ED to estimate and report the time required to digitize the documents associated with the charge sheet, indicating a move towards more efficient handling of the substantial evidentiary details involved in the case.

The individuals involved were presented before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja via video conferencing as their prior custody period came to an end. In the proceedings, Judge Baweja instructed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to provide an estimated timeline for the digitization of documents pertinent to the charge sheet, highlighting the court’s move towards streamlining the judicial process.

Advocate Vivek Jain argued that the trial has been delayed, and Sisodia has been in jail for over a year. However, the ED and CBI contended that the delay was caused by Sisodia and other co-accused individuals rather than the prosecution.

Both the ED and CBI have alleged that Sisodia played a major role in formulating the Delhi excise policy, which favored specific traders. They further claim that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received kickbacks in exchange for these favorable policies.

Other prominent figures arrested in connection with the case include Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, AAP communications head Vijay Nair, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha. While Kejriwal and Kavitha are currently in custody, Sanjay Singh was recently released on bail.

READ PREVIOUS REPORTS ON MANISH SISODIA