Manish Sisodia's judicial custody extended in Delhi excise policy case

Manish Sisodia. Pic/PTI

A court in New Delhi has extended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia's judicial custody until April 18 in connection with a money laundering case involving the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

During a court session on Saturday, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Sisodia's judicial custody term, which had previously expired, reported PTI.

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According to the report, Sisodia's party colleague Sanjay Singh, who was also charged in the case, was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court. He was in the court as well.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are probing into a case concerning irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy of 2021 which was scrapped; the agencies have alleged that undue benefits were given to licence holders, waiver or reduction of licence costs, and licence extensions without necessary sanction.

According to the investigating agencies, the beneficiaries of these anomalies channelled "illegal" income to the accused officials while falsifying their accounting records to escape detection, the report added.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, for alleged involvement in the scam. The ED later nabbed him on March 9, 2023, in connection with a money laundering case originating from the CBI's FIR, the report further stated. Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023, and is currently facing judicial processes over the alleged scandal.

Manish Sisodia Writes Letter from Jail

Sisodia, who is lodged in Tihar jail in connection with the alleged excise policy scam, penned a heartfelt letter to the constituents of his Patparganj Assembly constituency in east Delhi. In the letter, Sisodia drew parallels between his current predicament and the struggles faced by freedom fighters during the British rule.

Asserting his resolve to continue the fight for education, Sisodia expressed optimism about his imminent release from jail. He invoked the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who endured imprisonment for their beliefs, as his inspiration.

Scheduled to have his bail plea heard by a court on Saturday, Sisodia's letter, dated March 15, was shared by the AAP on its official platform. In it, he underscores the importance of education, a cause he championed during his tenure as Delhi's education minister.