Delhi High Court denies bail to Manish Sisodia

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday refused to grant interim bail for six weeks to AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case arising from the alleged excise policy scam.

The former Delhi deputy chief minister had sought release on a temporary basis on the ground of being the sole caretaker of his ailing wife. His plea for regular bail in the matter is pending before the high court.

Sisodia, who was arrested on March 9, is currently in judicial custody in the case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The verdict on the interim bail plea was pronounced by Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma.

Pronouncing the order, Justice Sharma said that the allegations in the case are extremely serious in nature and the Court finds it very difficult to persuade to release the petitioner on interim bail for six weeks.

"The court cannot forget the position held by the petitioner who might tamper with evidence or influence with witnesses if released on bail," Justice Sharma said.

The court, however, directed that best medical treatment be provided to Sisodia's ailing wife.

"Though it is the choice of the patient and family members from where to het the medical treatment, however, this court as the guardian suggests that she may be examined by board of doctors to be constituted by medical superintendent of AIIMS," Justice Sharma noted.

The court directed that Manish Sisodia be taken to be residence or hospital between 10 AM to 5 PM on any day as per the convenience of Sisodia’s wife.

The court cautioned that Sisodia shall not meet anyone except the wife and family members and shall not interact with the media during this time.

"The commissioner of police is directed to ensure that there is no media gathering either outside the residence or hospital," Justice Sharma said.

The order was reserved on Saturday when Sisodia's lawyer had claimed that pursuant to the court's directions passed on Friday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was taken in custody to meet his wife earlier in the day but the latter's health condition deteriorated and she was taken to be the LNJP Hospital before he could reach home.

The ED had opposed the plea for interim bail on the grounds of possibility of evidence tampering.

The federal agency's lawyer also claimed that Sisodia's wife has been suffering from a medical condition for the last 20 years and even earlier pleas for interim bail on identical grounds were withdrawn by the former minister.

The Delhi excise policy was implemented by the AAP government on November 17, 2021, but it was scrapped at the end of September last year amid allegations of corruption.

On May 30, the court had dismissed Sisodia's bail plea in the excise policy scam case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saying he is an influential person and the allegations against him are very serious in nature.

In the CBI case, the high court has kept the interim bail plea pending for July.