Supreme Court Grants Bail To Manish Sisodia In Excise Policy Case

On Friday, the Supreme Court granted bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. This decision comes after Sisodia had been in jail for over 17 months. The cases involve allegations of corruption and money laundering related to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy, with investigations conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Supreme Court, comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, directed Sisodia to furnish a bail bond of ₹10 lakh with two sureties, surrender his passport, and report to the Investigating Officer twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. The court also instructed that Sisodia must not attempt to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence. The order follows a reserved judgment from August 6, after the CBI and ED argued that Sisodia should have approached the trial court first. This was Sisodia’s third attempt to secure bail from the Supreme Court.

Previously, on October 30, 2023, the Supreme Court had refused to grant him bail but allowed him to revive his plea if the trial did not progress within six to eight months. Since the trial failed to commence within this period, Sisodia sought bail on grounds of delay. The Delhi High Court rejected this plea on May 21, prompting Sisodia to approach the Supreme Court in June. At that time, the ED had indicated it would file its charge sheet by July 3. The Supreme Court, however, did not delve into the merits of the petition but instead provided Sisodia another opportunity to challenge the high court’s decision.