Former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia has finally been granted bail by the Supreme Court after over 17 months in jail over corruption and money laundering cases linked to the excise policy case.
On February 26 last year, Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy after several rounds of questioning.
Following CBI's arrest, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also arrested him on March 9, 2023, in a money-laundering case linked to the CBI's FIR.
A bench of justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan today said Sisodia has been in custody for 17 months and trial has not yet commenced, depriving him of the right to speedy trial. The bench said it would be a travesty of justice to relegate him to the trial court for seeking bail in these cases.
A timeline of events leading to Manish Sisodia's arrest:
November 2021: Delhi government introduces a new excise policy
July 2022: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommends a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the policy
August 2022: CBI and ED register cases in connection with alleged irregularities
August 2022: CBI raids the residence of then Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as well as others
September 2022: Delhi government scraps the excise policy
October 2022: Manish Sisodia interrogated by the CBI for over eight hours
February 2023: CBI summons Sisodia
February 2023: Manish Sisodia arrested by CBI after multiple rounds of questioning
February 2023: Sisodia resigns from the Delhi cabinet
March 2023: ED arrests him in money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR. He was sent to Tihar Jail Number 1
July 2023: Delhi High Court refuses bail to Sisodia
October 2023: Supreme Court denied relief to the AAP leader
July 2024: SC agrees to hear Sisodia's petitions and sought responses from ED and CBI
August 2024: Sisodia granted bail by the Supreme Court
Sisodia had sought bail contending that he has been in custody for 17 months and the trial against him has not yet started.
The ED and the CBI had opposed his bail pleas.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
