NEW DELHI, August 9 — In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, who has been detained for 17 months in connection with corruption and money laundering allegations related to the Delhi excise policy scam.
The bench, comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan, ruled that Sisodia’s prolonged incarceration without the commencement of trial violated his right to a speedy trial. The court emphasized that it would be unjust to compel him to seek bail through the trial court.
“The principle of bail should be upheld as the rule, while incarceration remains the exception,” the bench remarked. As part of the bail conditions, Sisodia is required to furnish a personal bond of Rs 10 lakh along with two sureties of the same amount.
Sisodia, who served as Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister, was initially arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, over alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi excise policy 2021-22. Subsequently, on March 9, 2023, he was also detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a related money laundering case.
Sisodia had resigned from his ministerial post on February 28, 2023. In his bail application, he argued that his extended detention without the start of the trial was unjustified. Despite opposition from both the ED and the CBI, the Supreme Court has granted him relief.
This decision marks a crucial turn in the ongoing legal battle surrounding the Delhi excise policy case, with implications for the broader discourse on judicial delays and bail jurisprudence.
