synopsis

Manish Sisodia, who held the excise portfolio and other responsibilities in the Delhi cabinet, faced arrest by the CBI on February 26 in connection with an alleged "scam." Subsequently, the ED arrested him in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9.

In a setback for Manish Sisodia, the Supreme Court has postponed the hearing on his interim bail pleas in two Delhi liquor policy cases, which are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court has rescheduled the hearing for September 4. The AAP leader had sought interim bail, citing his wife's ill health as the reason.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti carefully reviewed the medical records of Sisodia's wife and found her condition to be "fairly stable."

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Consequently, the bench decided to consider Sisodia's interim bail pleas alongside his regular bail pleas in the cases. It's worth noting that on July 14, the apex court had sought responses from the CBI and the ED regarding Sisodia's interim bail pleas in relation to the Delhi excise policy cases.

Manish Sisodia, who held the excise portfolio and other responsibilities in the Delhi cabinet, faced arrest by the CBI on February 26 in connection with an alleged "scam." Subsequently, the ED arrested him in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9. Since his arrest by the CBI, Sisodia has been in jail.

Following these events, the AAP leader resigned from the cabinet on February 28. He then sought bail in the CBI case from the high court on May 30, but the court denied it, stating that he is a "high-profile" individual capable of influencing witnesses.

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Similarly, on July 3, the high court also denied him bail in the ED case. The court observed that Sisodia was at the "helm of affairs" during the alleged scam, making it challenging for him to deny his involvement. Considering AAP's position in power in Delhi and the involvement of several witnesses who are public servants, there are concerns that Sisodia's influence could hinder the investigation.

The controversial Delhi liquor policy, which came into effect on November 17, 2021, was later scrapped at the end of September 2022.