A local court in Delhi on Saturday adjourned hearing to April 5 in the bail petition of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22
The court listed the matter for hearing at 02:00 pm on April 5 after it was apprised that ED was yet to file a reply to Sisodia’s bail petition.
Advocate Zoheb Hossain appeared for the national agency, while Senior Advocates Dayan Krishnan, Siddharth Aggarwal and Mohit Mathur represented Sisodia.
Earlier on Friday, Special Judge M.K. Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Courts had reserved order in bail petition of Sisodia. The court said it would pronounce the order on March 31 at 4 pm in a corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The AAP leader is currently in judicial custody. Both the CBI and ED have filed cases against him under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), respectively.
Special Judge Nagpal had earlier heard arguments by Senior Advocates Dayan Krishnan and Mohit Mathur, who represented Sisodia and Special Public Prosecutor D.P. Singh, who appeared for CBI.
Earlier this week, CBI had opposed Sisodia’s bail on the grounds that it would scuttle the investigation and that there has been a ‘constant’ practice of destruction of evidence by him.
On the other hand, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, representing Sisodia, submitted that he had complied with the requirements of Section 41A CrPC notice, adding that the requirements of custodial Interrogation no longer survived.
Contending that nothing exceptional has been stated by CBI to warrant continued custody, Krishnan said nothing is on record to show that Sisodia could threaten the witnesses.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested the AAP leader on February 26 after an interrogation of more than eight hours. He was named as an accused in the FIR.
CBI alleged that Sisodia gave evasive replies during the probe and did not cooperate with the investigation, despite being confronted with evidence. The agency filed a charge sheet in the matter on November 25, 2022.
As per the FIR lodged by CBI, the former Delhi Cabinet Minister and others were instrumental in ‘recommending’ and ‘taking’ decisions regarding the Excise policy 2021-22 ‘without approval’ of the competent authority with an intention to ‘extend’ undue favours to the licensee post tender.
On February 27, the trial court had remanded Sisodia to CBI custody for five days. His custody was later extended for two more days.
On March 6, he was sent to judicial custody in the CBI case. It was during this judicial custody that ED arrested him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Earlier on March 10, the same court had remanded Sisodia to ED custody for his alleged involvement in irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The custody was later extended to March 22.
On March 22, the same court had extended the judicial custody of Sisodia till April 5. Sisodia was produced before Special Judge Nagpal on expiry of custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Sisodia under PMLA after questioning him inside Tihar jail.
The court had earlier observed that Sisodia was instrumental at every state in the formulation and implementation of excise policy and that his arrest in the money laundering case was fully justified.
ED had alleged that the Excise Policy 2021-22 was implemented as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12 percent to certain private companies. It said that such a stipulation was not mentioned in the minutes of meetings of the Group of Ministers (GoM).
The national agency further submitted that the conspiracy was coordinated by businessman Vijay Nair and other individuals, in connivance with people from the Southern part of the country, to give extraordinary profit margin to wholesalers.
As per ED, Nair was acting on behalf of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia.
It also accused Sisodia of destroying the evidence, alleging that the AAP leader destroyed 14 phones out of which only two were recovered. It was also submitted that the former Delhi cabinet Minister used sim cards and phones, which were purchased in the name of other individuals.
The post Delhi court adjourns bail plea of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in money laundering case appeared first on India Legal.
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