A file photo of AAP leader Manish Sisodia.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to CBI and ED seeking their replies on a bail plea filed by former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a corruption and money laundering case respectively in the alleged liquor policy scam.
A three-judge bench presided over by Justice B R Gavai, which took up the matter, fixed it for hearing on July 29.
After the recusal of Justice Sanjay Kumar on July 11, a new bench was constituted by the Chief Justice of India.
The new bench also comprised Justices Sanjay Karol and K V Viswanathan.
In his brief submission, Sisodia's counsel Vivek Jain asked the court to grant bail to the petitioner.
"I have been inside jail for 16 months. The trial is at the same speed as it was in October 2023. This is not like an NDPS case. The trial is moving at a snail's pace. This court order says that if there is no fault of Sisodia, then I may approach SC," he said.
Sisodia sought bail in cases filed by the CBI and the ED.
The CBI had registered a case against Sisodia in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy 2021-22, naming him as one of the accused.
He was arrested on February 26, 2023.
Sisodia was earlier denied bail by the trial court, Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court in both the ED and CBI cases. The Supreme Court had also dismissed Sisodia's review petition. It had also dismissed his curative petition.
Sisodia filed a fresh application to revive a disposed-of petition.
In March, the trial court had dismissed Sisodia's bail plea saying he was prima facie the “architect” of the alleged scam and had played the “most important and vital role” in the criminal conspiracy related to the alleged payment of advance kickbacks of nearly Rs 100 crore meant for him and his colleagues in the Delhi government.