New Delhi: On May 21, the Delhi High Court denied bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the corruption and money-laundering cases filed by the CBI and the ED related to the Delhi excise policy scam.
In its ruling, the High Court stated that Mr. Sisodia allegedly engaged in the destruction of crucial evidence, including electronic data. “Sisodia was a very powerful, influential person within the power corridors of the Delhi government. The material collected showed Sisodia subverted the process of excise policy by fabricating public feedback to suit his predetermined goal,” the court noted.
Mr. Sisodia had appealed against a trial court’s April 30 decision, which dismissed his bail petitions on the grounds that the timing was not appropriate for granting bail.
The High Court upheld the interim relief previously granted to Mr. Sisodia by the trial court, allowing him to meet his ailing wife once a week while in custody during the ongoing proceedings.
The trial court had dismissed Mr. Sisodia’s bail pleas in the corruption and money-laundering cases, citing alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. According to the CBI and ED, which are investigating the cases, undue favours were extended to license holders, and illegal gains were diverted to the accused officials, with false entries made in their books of account to evade detection.
Related Topics:
- Manish Sisodia
- Delhi Excise Policy Scam
- Delhi High Court
- Corruption and Money-Laundering Cases
- Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
- Enforcement Directorate (ED)
