Manish Sisodia, other accused trying to delay trial in Delhi Excise Policy case: Delhi court

A Delhi court observed on Tuesday that there is a concerted effort by former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other co-accused to delay the trial in the Delhi Excise Policy case..Special Judge (PC Act) Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court said that Sisodia and other accused have been filing multiple applications or making oral submissions, some of them frivolous.“In the light of the above observations based on record of the case, it is thus apparent that the Applicant (Sisodia) individually, and along with different accused have been filing one or the other application/making oral submissions frequently, some of them frivolous, that too on a piecemeal basis, apparently as a concerted effort for accomplishing the shared purpose of causing delay in the matter,” the order stated..The Court made the observations while denying bail to Manish Sisodia in the cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) related to the Delhi Excise Policy.Notably, the Supreme Court while rejecting Sisodia’s bail in October 2023 had said that he can file a fresh bail application before the trial court if the trial is protracted and proceeds at a “snail’s pace” in the next three months.Judge Baweja stressed that steady progress of the case despite “apparent attempts to slow down its progress" cannot by any standards be equated with “snail’s pace”..In a detailed order made available today, the trial court also rejected Sisodia’s contention that he should be released on bail because of the health condition of his wife.“…the Applicant in his application has mentioned that there is nobody in the family except him to support her [wife]. However, this is factually incorrect as the Applicant has a son who can take care of the Applicant's wife…Even otherwise, from the medical record of the wife of the Applicant as annexed with the application under consideration, it appears that she has been suffering from the said ailment since a long time and has also been receiving requisite medical treatment and care for the same. The application discloses no imminent of urgent need or any medical emergency warranting release of the Accused/Applicant on bail for this reason.”The Court also rejected Sisodia’s argument seeking parity with co-accused Benoy Babu..Sisodia has been in custody since February 26, 2023. He is being probed by both the CBI and the ED in relation to the Delhi Excise Policy case.The case involves allegations that Delhi government officials had connived to grant liquor licenses to certain traders in exchange for bribes. The accused officials are alleged to have tweaked the excise policy to benefit certain liquor sellers.Notably, this is the second time the trial court has rejected Sisodia's bail petitions. His first bail plea in the CBI case was rejected on March 31, 2023 .On April 28, the trial court rejected his bail application in the ED case.The Delhi High Court upheld the trial court orders.The matter then reached the Supreme Court, which also denied him bail on October 30, 2023..Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur and Advocate Vivek Jain appeared for Sisodia. Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain represented the ED..[Read Order]