The Supreme Court dealt a blow to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Thursday by rejecting his curative petition challenging the apex court’s decision denying him bail in the Delhi excise policy scam case.
Dismissal of curative petition
Manish Sisodia’s curative petition, filed in a bid to seek bail, was dismissed by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and SVN Bhatti. The bench stated that “no case is made out” based on the parameters established in previous court decisions.
Previous verdicts
In December 2023, the Supreme Court rejected Sisodia’s pleas seeking a review of its October 30 verdict, which had also dismissed his bail petitions related to the money laundering cases associated with the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
Allegations and arrest
The apex court had denied bail to Sisodia, citing allegations by investigating agencies that certain wholesale distributors had made “windfall gains” amounting to Rs. 338 crore. Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in February 2023 for his alleged involvement in the Delhi excise policy scam. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.
Resignation and policy scrapping
Facing legal challenges, Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023. The Delhi government introduced the new excise policy on November 17, 2021, but revoked it by the end of September 2022 amidst corruption allegations. According to investigating agencies, the profit margin for wholesalers had reportedly increased from 5% to 12% under the new policy, prompting scrutiny and legal action.
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