Delhi Liquor Scam: SC Refuses To Hear Manish Sisodia's Bail Plea, AAP To Move HC Now

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha has refused to intervene in Manish Sisodia’s case.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear the bail plea of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is in CBI custody, in connection with the excise policy case, news agency PTI reported. The Aam Aadmi Party will now move to Delhi HC over Sisodia's arrest, news agency ANI reported. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha has refused to intervene in Sisodia’s case, and asked him to 'avail alternative remedies'. The Delhi Deputy Chief Minister approached SC on Tuesday for bail in the excise policy case. The top court observed that the arrested AAP leader has remedies under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to move the Delhi High Court for bail and seek the quashing of the FIR. A special Delhi court on Monday sent Sisodia to five-day CBI remand in the excise policy case to allow the agency to get "genuine and legitimate" answers to questions being put to him for "a proper and fair

Special CBI judge M K Nagpal, on Monday, allowed the plea of CBI seeking custodial interrogation of Sisodia for five days in the excise scam case.

The trial judge said though the accused had joined the investigation of this case on two earlier occasions, it has also been observed that he has failed to provide satisfactory answers to most of the questions put to him during his examination and interrogation. Thus, he has failed to legitimately explain the incriminating evidence which has allegedly surfaced against him during the investigation conducted so far.

AAP to go to Delhi HC pertaining to Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia's arrest by CBI: AAP

Earlier, SC refused to entertain Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia's plea against his arrest by CBI & suggested him to move High Court. https://t.co/IyRQtI7bnM

— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2023

It is true that he cannot be expected to make self-incriminating statements, but the interests of justice and of a fair investigation require him to come up with some legitimate answers to the questions which are being put to him by the investigating officer (IO), the trial judge had said.

The CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

Earlier this month, the agency had interrogated Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in connection with the case after taking permission from the judge.

Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. He is not an accused in the excise policy case.

The CBI had also quizzed AAP's communication in-charge Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail, in connection with the excise policy money laundering case being probed by the ED.

Nair was earlier granted bail in the CBI excise policy case by the court.