Setback to Manish Sisodia: Delhi court extends former Dy CM's custody in excise policy case till May 15

Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday extended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's custody in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) matter related to the alleged excise policy scam. The court has also fixed May 15 as the date for further arguments regarding the framing of charges in the case, news agency ANI reported. 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta is currently hearing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with the liquor policy case. During the hearing of the case, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju said when the ED began its investigation, its probe was not directly against Kejriwal. 

"When we began the investigation, our investigation was not directly against him (Kejriwal). His role came up during the investigation. That's why, in the beginning, not a single question was put regarding him. The investigation was not focused on him," the ASG said. The court then told SV Raju that it wanted to see the file before AAP leader Manish Sisodia was arrested and after he was taken into custody. 

"There is one prosecution complaint after Manish Sisodia's bail was rejected, Rs 1,100 crore attached," he said. To this, the court asked, "Mr Raju, how did it become 1,100 crore in two years? You said the proceeds of crime were 100 crore earlier."

ASG SV Raju explained that this is because of the benefits of the policy. Replying to this, Justice Sanjiv Khanna said the "whole entire profit is not proceeds of crime." The court also sought files before Kejriwal's arrest and those of Sarath Reddy. Reddy is the Hyderabad-based businessman who was arrested in November 2023 but later turned approver in the liquor policy case. 

"We can show that Kejriwal demanded 100 crore. At the nascent stage, he was not the focus and the investigating agency (ED) was not looking at that. The role became clearer only when the investigation progressed," SV Raju said. The Supreme Court asked, "Why did you took so long and why were the questions not asked? We take it that no question was asked about him. The only issue why were you delaying?"

The development comes days after the Delhi High Court issued notice to the CBI and the ED regarding Sisodia's bail plea in the cases against him. The Delhi High Court bench of Justice Swarna Kanti Sharma has sought responses from the CBI as well as the ED and scheduled the hearing of the case to May 8. 

The High Court also allowed Sisodia to meet his wife once a week under custody. It, however, directed that the trial court's order allowing custody parole will continue. Sisodia approached the High Court against the Rouse Avenue Court's order dated April 30, 2024 due to which his bail pleas in the two cases were dismissed.

While dismissing his bail pleas, the court said that this was not the right stage for granting him bail. The Rouse Avenue Court also rejected Sisodia's contention that the proceedings in the case had been moving at a snail's pace. The court said that it was not keen to grant either regular or interim bail to Sisodia at this stage. 

On February 26,2023, the CBI arrested Sisodia after nearly eight hours of questioning. The former Delhi Deputy CM, also considered a close aide of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, is facing corruption charges related to the Delhi liquor case. This case focuses on the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.