In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has agreed to list Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia’s curative plea challenging the dismissal of his bail in the case related to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for the year 2021-22. The decision came on Monday, following senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s request for the listing of Sisodia’s fresh plea.
Sisodia, who has been in jail for almost a year, is seeking relief from the apex court after his earlier bail plea was refused in October. The Supreme Court, at that time, stated that at least one charge of windfall gains amounting to ₹338 crore made by wholesalers was tentatively established. The court directed the trial to be completed within six to eight months and granted Sisodia the opportunity to seek bail again if the proceedings faced undue delays.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi emphasized the prolonged incarceration of Manish Sisodia, urging the court to consider the fresh plea. The Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, indicated that the plea will be listed without specifying a particular date.
Sisodia’s review plea challenges the basis for calculating the alleged windfall gains of ₹338 crore, asserting that the grounds for denying bail were not substantiated by the documents presented in court. However, a previous review plea was dismissed by a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, who found no case for a review of the judgment dated October 30, 2023.
The court rejected Sisodia’s plea for an open court hearing on the review petition, as review petitions are typically heard and decided in chambers without an oral hearing.
As the legal battle continues, Manish Sisodia’s curative plea represents another chapter in the ongoing legal saga surrounding the Delhi excise policy case, with the Supreme Court poised to reexamine the grounds for his bail rejection.
Sources By Agencies