The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the former deputy chief minister of Delhi and AAP leader Manish Sisodia in the Delhi excise policy cases, earlier this year in February for his alleged role in the ‘scam’.
Due to a delay in the trial of the case, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti from the Supreme Court issued notice to Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the two probe agencies seeking a reply for the same.
“You cannot keep him behind (bars) for an indefinite period. Once a charge sheet is filed in a case, arguments on charge should commence immediately,” added the bench.
Manish Sisodia's Bail Plea: ''You Can't Keep Someone Behind Bars Infinitely; When Will Charges Be Framed?' Supreme Court Asks ED, CBI | @awstika #SupremeCourt #SupremeCourtofIndia #ManishSisodia https://t.co/yDEn4Z1mIm
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) October 16, 2023
The court was hearing the bail pleas for Sisodia, on which Additional Solicitor General SV Raju contered the plea. “Just have a look at the role of this person. The consumers have been deprived of their money due to the policy changes. There are WhatsApp chats and other communications to show conspiracy of money laundering,” he said in his argument.
The hearing was transferred for the next day, “Why have the arguments on charge not yet commenced, and when will they commence? Tell us by tomorrow (Tuesday),” Justice Khanna told SV Raju.
However, SV Raju claimed there was sufficient material to show that the allegations made against Sisodia were firm and ‘enough’ for the denial of his (Sisodia) bail.
