New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Manish Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
Sisodia was granted regular bail by the court in the cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) related to the now-defunct excise policy. After 17 months of incarceration, he is set to be released.
Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan of the bench ordered Sisodia to post a ₹10 lakh bail bond with two sureties, surrender his passport, and appear before the Investigating Officer twice a week on Monday and Thursday. He was also instructed not to attempt to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence. The Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on the case on August 6.
Furthermore, the bench declined the ED’s request to bar Sisodia from visiting the Delhi secretariat or the Chief Minister’s office, a restriction that was imposed on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal when he was granted interim bail during the Lok Sabha election campaign.
The CBI and ED contended that Sisodia’s petition was not admissible since he was obliged to first seek redress from the trial court.
This marked Sisodia’s third attempt to obtain bail from the apex court. On October 30 last year, the court denied his bail application but allowed him the option to reapply if the trial did not conclude within six to eight months or progressed very slowly.
When the trial did not commence within six months, Sisodia applied for bail citing the delay, but his application was rejected by the Delhi High Court on May 21. He then petitioned the Supreme Court in June, following the ED’s indication to a vacation bench that it would file its complaint (or charge sheet) by July 3.
After noting this statement, the court chose not to delve into the merits of the petition. Last month, Sisodia filed his third bail application, challenging the high court’s May 21 decision.
