Manish Sisodia Denied Interim Bail In ED Case, HC Allows Him To Meet Ailing Wife On Imposed Conditions

Manish Sisodia sought release on a temporary basis on the ground of being the only caretaker of his ailing wife. He has been denied interim bail while the HC allowed him to meet his wife on a day of her convenience.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia's plea seeking interim bail for six weeks, but allowed him to meet his ailing wife. The case in question relates to money laundering arising from the alleged excise policy scam. Sisodia, who was arrested on March 9, has sought release on a temporary basis on the ground of being the only caretaker of his ailing wife. His plea for regular bail in the matter is pending before the high court.

The court observed that the allegations against the former Delhi health and excise minister are extremely serious in nature and that it cannot forget the positions held by him, Live Law reported. It also noted that the AAP leader might tamper with evidence or influence witnesses if released on bail.

Manish Sisodia has been granted permission to visit his residence or the hospital to meet his wife for one day at her convenience between 10 am and 5 pm after the AAP leader couldn't meet her on Sunday, news agency PTI reported.

“During this time, the petitioner shall not meet anyone except the wife and family members and shall not interact with the media. The commissioner of police is directed to ensure that there is no media gathering either outside the residence or hospital,” the court stated, as quoted by Live Law in its report.

Earlier, on May 30, the court had dismissed Sisodia's bail plea in the excise policy scam case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saying he is an influential person and the allegations against him are very serious in nature. His plea for regular bail in the matter is pending before the high court. 

The former Delhi deputy chief minister is currently in judicial custody in the case lodged by the ED. The central agency opposed the plea on the grounds of the possibility of evidence tampering.

The agency's lawyer also claimed that Sisodia's wife has been suffering from a medical condition for the last 20 years and even earlier pleas for interim bail on identical grounds were withdrawn by the former minister.

Notably, the Delhi excise policy was implemented by the AAP government on November 17, 2021, but it was scrapped at the end of September last year amid allegations of corruption.