NEW DELHI: Opposing ex-AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s bail plea, who is currently in jail for allegations of irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the Supreme Court that the leader is not only influential but has been found to destroy evidence and been ‘non-cooperative’ during questioning.
Laying emphasis on the fact that Sisodia has failed to meet the requirement of a triple test to be fulfilled for grant of bail, the CBI said in the affidavit that Sisodia was engaged in criminal conspiracy with other accused persons, some hailing from South India to manipulate the excise policy with a view to promote monopoly and cartelisation of the sale of liquor in the national capital.
“Petitioner ... [engaged] in criminal conspiracy with the accused persons from South India and others with the pre-conceived idea to manipulate the Excise Policy to facilitate the monopolization and cartelization of the wholesale and retail liquor trade in Delhi,” the affidavit said. Against the backdrop of Sisodia seeking bail on account of his wife’s ill health, the probe agency has said that this ground is not new since her treatment has been going on for 23 years.
“The condition of the wife of the applicant as revealed through these documents cannot be considered to be severe or serious enough to release the applicant on bail and the same also cannot be taken to mean that she cannot take care of herself or has to necessarily take care of by the applicant only ... the Petitioner withdrew [medical bail plea before the Delhi High Court]... after it was pointed out before the Hon’ble High Court that the Petitioner had suppressed vital facts in relation to the discharge of his wife from the hospital,” the affidavit said.
The affidavit has been filed pursuant to the top court’s July 14 order seeking CBI & Ed's reply. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Bela Trivedi and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said that the same could be considered on account of the medical condition of his wife and not because of his status. “For his medical reasons, we will hear,” the judge remarked.
Sisodia had sought this interim relief while challenging the orders passed by Delhi HC rejecting his bail in the cases filed by CBI and ED in the multi-crore scam of the now scrapped Delhi Liquor policy. Seeking bail, he in his plea before the SC said that charges in the chargesheet that had already been filed by the CBI are punishable with imprisonment of less than seven years.