New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of Manish Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, in a CBI case related to alleged corruption in the implementation of the previous liquor policy in the national capital.
The bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma denied bail to Sisodia and said that the applicant (Sisodia) being a powerful person, there is the possibility of him influencing the witnesses.
During arguments, the CBI had opposed the bail plea moved by Manish Sisodia and stated, "The applicant (Sisodia) enjoys close nexus with the executive, offices and bureaucrats and his influence and clout is evident. His party colleagues holding high ranks continue to make factually wrong claims in order to influence the investigation and also claiming the applicant to be a victim of a political vendetta."
CBI in its reply filed in Delhi High Court stated that any release of the Applicant on bail shall gravely prejudice the investigation herein, more specifically when the Applicant fails to meet the 'triple test' for bail. While personal liberty is paramount, the same is not absolute but subject to reasonable restrictions, including the interest of the state and the public.
During the arguements earlier, Manish Sisodia through Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan submitted that the Central Bureau of Investigation has no evidence to show his involvement in the alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Government.
The lawyer submitted that every accused in the CBI case has been released on bail except Sisodia. Sisodia was arrested on February 26, 2023, more than 6 months after the Registration of FIR in the matter. And during the entirety of said investigation of 6 months before the arrest of the applicant, there was not a single that Applicant extended any threat to any witness. (with ANI inputs)
