NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the CBI and ED, directing them to file their replies within four days to a bail plea filed by former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, accused in the Delhi liquor case.
The ED and CBI, the probe agencies in the Delhi liquor case, sought one more week’s time to file a reply to Manish Sisodia’s bail plea. However, Justice Swarana Kanta of the Delhi HC granted them only 4 days. The case is scheduled for hearing on Monday.
Although the case was listed for Wednesday’s hearing, the agencies could not file their replies due to ongoing investigations. “Investigating Officer is neck-deep in investigation, we have to file a supplementary charge sheet as well,” the agencies informed the HC.
Sisodia’s counsel, Vivek Jain, opposed the request of the ED and CBI, citing Sisodia’s judicial custody and the assurance made by the ED to the Supreme Court regarding the completion of the trial in six months.
Last week, Sisodia moved the Delhi High Court challenging the dismissal of his bail plea by the Rouse Avenue Court in the Delhi liquor scam case investigated by the CBI and ED.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Courts, who reserved the verdict on April 20, dismissed Sisodia’s bail plea, stating that the offence committed by him did not warrant bail.
Senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sisodia, asserted that Sisodia is innocent and has no role in the Delhi liquor case.
The prosecutor for the CBI, Pankaj Gupta, opposed Sisodia’s bail plea, arguing that he did not satisfy the requirements for bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Sisodia has been denied bail by the trial court, Delhi High Court, and the Supreme Court in both the ED and CBI cases. His review petition and curative petition were also dismissed by the Supreme Court.
In March, the trial court dismissed his bail plea, stating that he was prima facie the “architect” of the alleged scam. The Supreme Court, in December last year, rejected his plea seeking a review of its earlier decision denying him bail in the Delhi Excise Policy scam case.
Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Wednesday extended till May 21 the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Sisodia’s custody after he was produced before the court through video conference on the expiry of his judicial custody granted earlier.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had on March 9 last year arrested the former deputy chief minister of Delhi in the liquor policy case.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI earlier in its ongoing investigation of a case related to the alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). He is currently in judicial custody in both cases.