The Supreme Court Monday denied bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the cases related to Delhi excise policy scam.A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti pronounced the order.. A money trail has been established in the case, the court noted and ordered the trial be completed in 6-8 months. The court also said the investigating agencies did not provide adequate answers to all questions.
Sisodia was a cabinet minister in the Government of Delhi between December 2013 and February 2014 and continued to hold several cabinet positions after becoming the Deputy Chief Minister, including the portfolio of Education Minister through which he credited for reforming and overhauling the public education sector in Delhi. He resigned from the post of Deputy Chief Minister and all cabinet positions following his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on corruption charges in an alleged liquor scam. There are counter-allegations against the Central Government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of misusing investigative agencies such as the CBI and ED to target their political opposition, and Sisodia is one of several opposition politicians with cases against them. Meanwhile, the ED arrested him in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI case on March 9 after questioning him in Tihar Jail.