The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Following his release from Tihar Jail, Sisodia expressed his relief, stating that his release was a "slap on the face of autocracy." He also expressed gratitude for the support he received, attributing his release to "people's love, God's blessings, and the power of truth."
"I have come out of jail due to your love, God's blessings & power of truth, and biggest of all, the dream of Babasaheb that if any dictatorial government comes to power and puts Opposition leaders behind bars by forming dictatorial laws, then this country's Constitution will protect them...I assure you that with this power of the Constitution, Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail as well...," Sisodia said.
AAP leaders greet Sisodia
Sisodia also greeted party leaders and workers who had gathered outside Tihar Jail to welcome him. "Bharat mata ji jai! Inquilab Zindabad!" cheered Manish Sisodia upon his release. "Ever since this order came in the morning, every inch of my skin has been feeling indebted to Babasaheb (Bhim Rao Ambedkar). I don't understand how will pay off this debt to Babasaheb," Sisodia said.
The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Manish Sisodia in the excise policy irregularities cases. The order has been delivered by a bench of justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan. The court also imposed various conditions including surrendering the passport and not influencing witnesses. In February 2023, Sisodia was arrested by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of now-scrapped Delhi's new excise policy.
Delhi Excise policy case
The matter relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP. The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
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