India

Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody extended till May 30 by Delhi court

In a recent development, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi has decided to extend the judicial custody of Manish Sisodia, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, until May 30. This decision was made in relation to the Delhi excise policy case, which was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and involves the now-scrapped Delhi liquor excise policy 2021-22. Sisodia has been named as one of the accused in this case. The Special Judge, Kaveri Baweja, made the decision to extend Sisodia’s custody after he was presented before the court through a video conference, following the expiration of his earlier granted judicial custody. Additionally, the court has adjourned the hearing on the framing of charges against Sisodia, taking into account the directions given by the Delhi High Court. These directions were based on an appeal filed by one of the accused, Arun Pillai. It is worth noting that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had previously arrested Sisodia on March 9 of the previous year, in connection with the liquor policy case. This recent development comes just a day after a Delhi High Court bench reserved its judgment on Sisodia’s bail pleas. These pleas are related to the money laundering and corruption case that is linked to the Delhi excise policy. While seeking bail for Sisodia, his lawyer argued that both the ED and CBI are continuing to make arrests in relation to the excise policy case. This suggests that the trial is far from reaching an early conclusion. Furthermore, the ED recently contended before the Delhi High Court that the Aam Aadmi Party will be treated as an accused party in the money laundering case that is associated with the Delhi excise policy. The ED’s counsel expressed their intention to include the Aam Aadmi Party as a co-accused in the next prosecution complaint (charge sheet) that will be filed in the case. These recent developments highlight the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the Delhi excise policy case and the involvement of Manish Sisodia, as well as the Aam Aadmi Party. With the extension of Sisodia’s judicial custody and the pending judgment on his bail pleas, the case is expected to continue to unfold in the coming weeks.