New Delhi: Manish Sisodia’s Bail Plea Adjourned by Supreme Court

Summary:

• The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing on former minister Manish Sisodia’s bail plea till October 4.
• Sisodia is currently in jail in the liquor policy irregularity case and had filed a petition requesting bail.
• The court had issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking their reply.
• During the last hearing, the bail plea was adjourned to September, and Sisodia cited his wife’s illness as the reason for seeking bail.
• Manish Sisodia has filed an interim bail application on humanitarian grounds to meet his ailing wife.

Senior AAP leader and former minister Manish Sisodia has not received any relief from the Supreme Court at present. The court has adjourned the hearing on his bail plea till October 4. Sisodia is currently in jail in the liquor policy irregularity case and had filed a petition requesting the top court to grant him bail. The court had issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking their reply. Sisodia was arrested in February this year and has been in jail since then. His bail plea was rejected by the Delhi High Court, after which he approached the apex court.

During the last hearing, the Supreme Court had adjourned the bail hearing of Sisodia to September. The former Deputy CM had sought bail citing his wife’s illness. The CBI and ED are investigating the Delhi liquor scam. On July 14, the court had asked the CBI and ED to file their reply on Sisodia’s bail.

Asked for bail to meet his wife

Sisodia’s lawyer, Singhvi, requested the bench to hear the case on October 4, considering that the hearing could take a long time. Additional Solicitor S.V. Raju appeared on behalf of the central agencies in the court. Sisodia has filed an interim bail application on humanitarian grounds to meet his ailing wife, Seema. Some medical reports have surfaced describing Seema’s deteriorating condition.

During the hearing, the bench of Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice SVN Bhatti noted that Sisodia’s wife appears to be stable according to her medical report. Therefore, Sisodia’s interim bail petition will be considered along with the regular bail petitions in the cases. The Delhi High Court had previously refused to grant bail to the former minister, stating that he is a “high-profile” accused who could potentially influence witnesses.