On Monday, October 30, the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to Manish Sisodia, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi, in the Delhi liquor policy case. While denying bail, the apex court noted that a money trail of Rs 338 crore has been tentatively established in the case.
#BREAKING #SupremeCourt denies bail to Manish Sisodia in Delhi liquor policy scam case. pic.twitter.com/OnywOQgur0
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) October 30, 2023
The two-judge bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti further ordered that the case be expedited, noting that Sisodia may apply for bail again if the trial proceeds slowly.
“We have referred to the arguments and some of the legal questions but we have not answered most of them. In the analysis, there are certain aspects which are doubtful regarding the transfer of ₹ 338 crore transfer is established. We have rejected the bail,” said Justice Khanna.
Sisodia, who is facing money laundering and corruption charges over alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of a now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy, has been in custody since February of this year and is being investigated by both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.
Notably, on October 19, a Delhi Court extended the judicial custody of Manish Sisodia until November 22.
The liquor policy for 2021-22 was put into effect by the Delhi administration on 17th November 2021, however, it was cancelled at the end of September 2022 due to accusations of corruption. According to the agencies, the new regulation led to monopolisation and gave economic advantages to people who weren’t eligible for liquor licenses.
On the other hand, Manish Sisodia and the Delhi administration have denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the new policy would have increased the state’s excise revenue.
