Excise Policy: Sisodia's interim bail plea refused

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant interim bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case arising from the alleged excise policy scam. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, however, allowed him to meet his ailing wife in custody for one day as per her convenience between 10 am and 5 pm.

The former Delhi deputy chief minister had sought release on a temporary basis for six weeks on grounds that he was the sole caretaker of his ailing wife. His plea for regular bail in the matter is pending before the high court. Sisodia, who was arrested on March 9, is currently in judicial custody in the case lodged by the ED.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the plea for interim bail on grounds of possibility of evidence tampering. The ED lawyer has also claimed that Sisodia's wife has been suffering from such a medical condition for the last 20 years. The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021 but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

On May 30, the court had dismissed the bail plea of Sisodia in the excise policy scam being probed by the CBI, saying he is an influential person and the allegations against him are very serious in nature. In the CBI case, the high court has kept the interim bail plea pending for July.