Excise policy case: Delhi court sends AAP's Manish Sisodia to judicial custody till April 5

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday sent Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to 14-day judicial custody till April 5, 2023, in the ongoing probe into the alleged irregularities relating to the excise policy.

Sisodia urged the court to allow him to carry some religious and spiritual books during his judicial custody.

The CBI, so far, has quizzed Sisodia in its custody for seven days.


Sisodia on Tuesday sought bail from a city court, saying he was neither a flight risk nor the CBI has found anything incriminating against him. Special Judge M K Nagpal, who deferred the hearing on Sisodia's bail plea till March 24 for clarification and submissions, meanwhile issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate and sought its response by March 25.

The money-laundering case being probed by ED is an offshoot of the main case registered by the CBI.

The senior lawyers said Sisodia was not a flight risk and regarding the allegations that the accused manipulated the excise policy, there was no documentary evidence of receiving kickbacks.

They said changes in the excise policy were made “purely in the normal course” and that it was a government policy, which was approved by the Delhi lieutenant governor and the law secretary.

The lawyers also said that Sisodia's wife was suffering from an incurable disease, for which the medical treatment could only slow the degenerative condition, and that he was the only person to take care of his wife.

Opposing the bail plea, CBI's special public prosecutor D P Singh said though Sisodia was not a flight risk, he was “definitely” in a position to influence witnesses and destroy evidence. If he is given the relief, “the investigation will be compromised”, Singh said.

“We have only 36 days left to file the chargesheet. Till that time he (Sisodia) being released on bail will scuttle our investigation,” the SPP said.

The prosecutor said Sisodia, who was dealing with an “unprecedented” 18 ministries, implemented the excise policy with “high handedness” in the way he and the representatives of the “south group” wanted. “A person is a saint till the time his irregularities are discovered,” the SPP said. To this, Sisodia's advocates raised objections.