Sisodia not to report to police twice a week: SC

New Delhi: AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia won't have to report to the investigating officer twice a week in the corruption and money laundering cases related to the Delhi excise policy after the Supreme Court relaxed his bail conditions on Wednesday.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan eased the conditions, calling them unnecessary. "The petitioner shall regularly attend the trial," it said. The apex court on November 22 agreed to hear Sisodia's pleas and issued notices to the CBI and the ED seeking their responses. On August 9, the apex court granted him bail in both cases linked to the alleged 2021-22 Delhi excise policy case, saying a 17-month long incarceration without trial deprived him of his right to a speedy trial.

The apex court then imposed conditions, including his reporting to the investigating officer every Monday and Thursday between 10 and 11 am. During the hearing on November 22, Singhvi argued the AAP leader had appeared before the investigating officers 60 times. Sisodia was arrested by both the CBI and the ED in the corruption and money laundering cases, respectively, linked to the alleged excise scam. He was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, for purported irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

The following month, the ED arrested him in the money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023. He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023. Sisodia has denied the allegations. In its August 9 verdict granting bail to Sisodia in both the cases, the apex court said it was high time that trial courts and the high courts recognised the principle, "bail is rule and jail is exception". "We find that, on account of a long period of incarceration running for around 17 months and the trial even not having been commenced, the appellant (Sisodia) has been deprived of his right to speedy trial," it said.

The top court had directed him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh with two sureties of the like amount. Sisodia was further directed to surrender his passport with the special court and not make any attempt either to influence the witnesses or to tamper with the evidence. The apex court had set aside the May 21 verdict of the Delhi High Court, which dismissed Sisodia's pleas seeking bail in both these cases. The ED and the CBI had opposed his bail pleas. PTI PKS