Excise policy cases: Apex Court to hear Sisodia’s bail pleas today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday pleas filed by AAP leader Manish Sisodia, seeking bail in corruption and money-laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan will take up for hearing both the pleas.

On July 29, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for CBI and ED, had told the bench that while the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed its response on Sisodia’s plea, it had not come on record.

Raju had raised preliminary objections on Sisodia’s pleas and said it was the second special leave petition challenging the same Delhi High Court order.

“The same order can’t be challenged twice,” the law officer had submitted.

Sisodia had earlier moved the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court’s May 21 order dismissing his bail pleas. He had challenged in the high court a trial court’s April 30 order rejecting his bail applications in the two cases. He was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, over his alleged role in the liquor policy case. The ED arrested him in the money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.

Sisodia resigned from the Delhi Cabinet on February 28, 2023. During the hearing, Raju referred to the June 4 order of the top court, refusing to entertain Sisodia’s bail pleas in the cases lodged by the CBI and the ED. The top court, however, had said that Sisodia could revive his petitions for bail after the ED and the CBI filed their final prosecution complaint and charge sheet, respectively, in the cases involving alleged corruption and money laundering.