The Delhi High Court is set to hear bail petitions moved by former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probes pertaining to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy on Friday. The two petitions are listed before a single-judge bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma. On Thursday, the matter was mentioned for “urgent listing” before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, which observed that if the papers are in order by 12.30 pm on Thursday, the matter will be listed on Friday. Sisodia has moved the HC against the trial court’s verdict denying him bail in the money laundering and corruption cases — registered by the ED and CBI, respectively — related to the alleged excise policy scam. On April 30, the trial court had denied bail to Sisodia in both the cases. While denying bail to Sisodia, the trial court observed on Tuesday that the accused were causing a delay in the trial of the excise policy case by filing certain frivolous applications. The court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja also noted that while scrutinising documents, almost all the accused in the excise policy case requested hard copies of documents relied upon after the Supreme Court denied bail to Sisodia in October 2023. Sisodia himself has moved 13 applications before the court, which in its order also provided a list of 135 applications moved by 31 accused. The trial court also noted that Sisodia’s wife had multiple sclerosis for a long time and had been undergoing treatment. It was held that Sisodia had disclosed no “imminent or urgent” need warranting his release on these grounds. While Sisodia’s counsel had earlier argued for his bail on the grounds of delay, the ED submitted that mere delay could not be grounds for interim bail if the offences are grave in nature. The trial court, meanwhile, had said that the “steady progression of the case”, despite apparent attempts to slow down its progress, cannot, by any standards, be equated with “snail's pace.” Sisodia was first arrested by the CBI in February 2023 and later by the ED in March that year. The ED chargesheet named Sisodia a “key conspirator” in the case, after which he resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.
