AAP leader Manish Sisodia, arrested in the Delhi liquor policy case by the CBI, filed a bail petition in Delhi's Rouse Avenue court on Friday. The bail hearing will take place today, when Sisodia's five-day CBI custody ends. Sisodia, who has resigned from the Delhi Cabinet and as deputy chief minister, will be produced in Rouse Avenue court on Saturday.
Sisodia in his bail application submitted stated that he has joined probe as and when called for by CBI, as reported by the news agency ANI. He further said that no fruitful purpose will be served by keeping him in custody as all recoveries have already been made. "The application is likely to come up for hearing before Special Judge MK Nagpal on Saturday," advocate Rishikesh said.
The development comes after the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain Sisodia's plea challenging his arrest by CBI and asked him to approach the High Court for alternative remedies.
"What will happen is we will asked to be interfere in every such case.. we cannot intervene in this," CJI Chandrachud had said. "Just because an incident happens in Delhi does not mean this case will come to the Supreme Court," said Justice Narasimha.
Sisodia, who held 18 portfolios in the Delhi government, including excise and education, quit on Tuesday hours after the Supreme Court junked his plea.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on Sunday in connection with alleged corruption in the now-withdrawn liquor policy. CBI officials said that the arrest was made after the Deputy CM didn’t cooperate in the investigation and avoided clarifications sought by them.
He is the second Delhi minister to be arrested since Satyendar Jain.
Earlier this week, a special Delhi court sent Sisodia to five-day CBI remand. The investigation agency claimed that the policy had irregularities both in its formulation and implementation and allegedly intended to benefit people having ties to the AAP.
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The CBI has 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, an accusation strongly refuted by the AAP. The policy was later scrapped.