Liquor policy case: Sisodia's bail pleas mentioned before SC for urgent hearing

New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is behind bars in the alleged liquor policy scam for around 16 months, urged the Supreme Court on Monday to list his pleas seeking bail.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sisodia, submitted before a bench presided over by CJI DY Chandrachud that the top court last month had granted liberty to revive the special leave petitions challenging the denial of bail.

“The Supreme Court had granted liberty to list it after the 3rd of July. It is a revival because the court kept the matter in abeyance,” said Singhvi, adding that July 23 is shown as the tentative date of listing and an email seeking urgent listing of application seeking revival of bail pleas has also been sent to the registry.

At this, CJI Chandrachud said, “I will attend the email the moment we rise. It will not be deleted.”

Last month, the apex court had disposed of Sisodia’s plea seeking bail in corruption and money laundering cases after Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, the second highest law officer of the Centre, made an undertaking that the final charge sheet/complaint in the liquor policy case would be filed by July 3.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had denied bail to the senior AAP leader, saying that he failed to pass the triple test for grant of bail in the corruption case and the twin conditions required under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

A bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the High Court, however, clarified that he could continue to meet his ailing wife every week, on the same terms as set earlier by the trial court.

In March, the Supreme Court dismissed the curative petitions filed by Sisodia against the dismissal of his review pleas against its 2023 verdict denying him bail in connection with the liquor policy case.

In its judgment delivered on October 30, 2023, the top court denied bail to Sisodia but said that if the trial proceeds slowly in the next three months, he may apply for bail afresh.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court had on April 30, refused to grant bail to Sisodia who was seeking regular bail a second time. During the trial court’s decision to deny bail, it was noted that delays in the case proceedings were largely due to actions attributable to Sisodia himself, dismissing his claims of undue delay.

Meanwhile, a Delhi court last week extended till July 15 the judicial custody of Sisodia in the excise policy case being probed by the ED.