Sisodia's Bail Bid Under Fire Amid Allegations in Delhi Excise Case

Sisodia has been in jail since February 26, 2023. Investigators from both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are looking into his involvement in the Delhi excise policy case.

The case revolves around accusations that officials in the Delhi government worked together to give out liquor licenses to certain traders in exchange for bribes. It's claimed that these officials changed the excise policy to help specific liquor sellers.

Previously, the Supreme Court refused to grant Sisodia bail on October 30, 2023. However, the court mentioned that he could ask for bail again if the trial took too long.

Jain, Sisodia's lawyer, referred to this point today and argued that Sisodia shouldn't stay in jail indefinitely while waiting for the trial to finish.

"The Supreme Court said they're worried about how long Sisodia has been in jail. They said a person shouldn't be punished before the trial. I can't be held in jail forever. The court agreed with us... They agreed that this point was in our favor. In paragraph 29, the court noted that this isn't a case of robbing millions of people," Jain said.

Meanwhile, the CBI accused Sisodia of being the main planner behind the Delhi Excise scam.

"This is his second bail request. He needs to show new reasons. There are three main points: fairness, speedy trial, and a triple test. We've provided a note addressing all these points... Sisodia is the mastermind behind this. The case hasn't been delayed by the CBI," the CBI lawyer said.

The CBI also argued that since Sisodia is the "architect" of the Delhi liquor policy, he can't ask for bail by comparing himself to other accused people in the case.

"The fairness argument doesn't apply to him. He's the main architect of this policy," the CBI lawyer added.

The ED's lawyer, Zoheb Hossain, argued that the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy was designed to generate illegal profits, including for future generations.

"His bail request has been rejected by the Supreme Court. The court found that there's around ₹338 crore involved in this case. The policy was changed without proper research or calculation... It was meant to be a way to make illegal profits for future generations," Hossain said.

He also claimed that there's evidence showing that Sisodia met with a liquor lobby called the "South group," which allegedly would have benefited from the loopholes in the cancelled Delhi Liquor Policy.

"We have evidence, bills from Oberoi hotel showing the meeting with the South Group. A 36-page draft of the policy was printed," Hossain said.

"Do you have the draft?" the Court asked.

"No. We have statements supporting it. All the co-accused were present; some of them have become approvers. The document was given by Mr. Sisodia to C Aravind at the Chief Minister's house. We have C Aravind's statement," Hossain replied.

He also accused Sisodia of destroying evidence.

"Sisodia said his phone was damaged but couldn't say where his old phone was. According to one statement, Sisodia destroyed the old draft cabinet note so no one could access it," Hossain said.

The ED had previously claimed that any delays in the trial were Sisodia's fault.