Supreme Court Eases Bail Conditions for Sisodia in Delhi Liquor Policy Case
Click to start listening
New Delhi, Dec 11 (NationPress) The Supreme Court on Wednesday approved a request made by senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for a relaxation of his bail condition that required him to report to the Investigating Officer twice a week.
A bench led by Justice B.R. Gavai decided to eliminate the condition mandating Sisodia to report to the Investigating Officer every Monday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
“We do not find the said condition necessary, and it is therefore removed. However, it is directed that the applicant (Sisodia) must regularly attend the trial court,” ordered the bench presided over by Justice Gavai.
Earlier on Monday, the bench, which also included Justice K.V. Viswanathan, agreed to hear Sisodia's plea on December 11 after senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi raised it.
In August, the Supreme Court had granted bail to the senior AAP leader, stating that he should not be confined indefinitely while awaiting a speedy trial in the alleged excise policy scandal.
In delivering the verdict on Sisodia’s bail requests, a bench led by Justice Gavai remarked: "In this case, regarding the ED as well as the CBI, 493 witnesses have been named, and the case includes thousands of pages of documents and over one lakh pages of digitised records."
"It is evident that there is no realistic possibility of the trial concluding in the near future. In our opinion, keeping the appellant behind bars indefinitely in anticipation of a speedy trial would infringe upon his Fundamental Right to Liberty as enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution," the bench stated.
The bench, which also included Justice Viswanathan, ruled that due to an extended period of incarceration lasting approximately 17 months without commencement of the trial, Sisodia had been denied his right to a swift trial.
Disregarding the argument that Sisodia might tamper with evidence if granted bail, the Supreme Court asserted that the prosecution's case primarily relies on documentary evidence, which has already been confiscated by the CBI and the ED.
The court dismissed the central agencies’ request that Sisodia should be prohibited from visiting the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office or the Delhi Secretariat.
"The appellant (Sisodia) is to surrender his passport to the Special Court. He is required to report to the Investigating Officer every Monday and Thursday from 10-11 a.m. and must not attempt to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence," it stated.
Previously, in a ruling on October 30 of the last year, the top court had denied bail to the former Deputy Chief Minister but indicated that if the trial proceeded slowly over the next three months, he could file a new bail application.
Recently, the Delhi High Court issued a notice on Sisodia’s plea against the trial court’s decision to acknowledge the prosecution complaint lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the alleged liquor policy scam.
In his petition before the Delhi HC, Sisodia argued that the trial court recognized the alleged offenses under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) without prior sanction from the ED for prosecution.
The petition further claimed that the trial court should not have acknowledged the ED's prosecution complaint without sanction, given that he was in public office during the time of the alleged money laundering offense.
The case is set to be heard next on December 20, alongside a similar petition filed by AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, seeking a stay on trial proceedings due to lack of sanction.
