New Delhi: Former Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia moved a plea in Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order denying bail to him in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi liquor policy, news agency ANI reported.
Hearing on the matter is set to take place tomorrow.
A Delhi special court on Friday dismissed the bail petition of the AAP leader saying Sisodia's release might adversely impact the ongoing investigation and "seriously hamper" its progress.
"The applicant had played the most important and vital role in the criminal conspiracy and he had been deeply involved in the formulation as well as the implementation of the said policy to ensure the achievement of objectives of the said conspiracy...Thus, as per allegations made by the prosecution and the evidence collected in support thereof so far, the applicant can prima facie be held to be the architect of the said criminal conspiracy," CBI Judge MK Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court had said.
"...This court is not inclined to release the applicant on bail at this stage of investigation of the case as his release may adversely affect the ongoing investigation and will also seriously hamper the progress thereof. Therefore, this bail application filed on behalf of the applicant is being dismissed," he added.
It is to be noted that CBI arrested Manish Sisodia on February 26 on charges of corruption in Delhi's new liquor policy. The central agency alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it. The policy was later scrapped.
However, the AAP strongly refuted the charges against the senior party leader.
Sisodia was subsequently also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case in relation to the same case and was remanded to ED custody on March 10 for a week.