Special Judge M K Nagpal also called for responses from Sisodia and other accused in response to an application filed by the Enforcement Directorate(ED), seeking permission to submit additional documents in the case.The judge instructed the accused to file their replies to the application by December 10.
The court further directed the ED to provide hard copies of the 540 pages of additional documents to the accused before the next hearing on January 10.
Supreme Court denies bail to Manish Sisodia in Delhi excise policy scam case
The proceedings also saw an adjournment of the hearing on an application by the ED seeking day-to-day proceedings in the matter. The judge noted that the case is currently in the document scrutiny stage, and the trial will commence after this stage is completed and charges are framed against the accused.
Manish Sisodia was initially arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 in connection with corruption allegations related to the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2020-21. He has been in custody since then.
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Subsequently, the ED arrested Sisodia in a money laundering case on March 9, stemming from the CBI FIR. Sisodia, who held the excise portfolio, resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28.
The Delhi government had implemented the excise policy on November 17, 2021, but later scrapped it in September 2022 amid corruption allegations. Investigating agencies claim that the policy led to arbitrary increases in profit margins for wholesalers, resulting in cartelization and favoring ineligible candidates for liquor licenses for monetary gains. However, the Delhi government and Sisodia deny any wrongdoing, asserting that the policy aimed to boost revenue.
(With agency inputs)
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