Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia, who was arrested in the Delhi excise policy case in February last year, told a Delhi court hearing his bail petition that he should be released as there was no purpose served by keeping him in custody any further. Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi, stated that the investigation against him in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam was already complete and there was no possibility of him hampering the probe or destroying evidence. He also assured the judge that he was ready to abide by any condition imposed by the court if it decides to grant him bail. Currently, Sisodia is lodged in Tihar jail.

The court had earlier sent Sisodia to judicial custody after the ED submitted that the case was at a crucial stage and there might be a risk of the accused hampering the investigation if released. The ED’s case is based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the excise policy. The CBI alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi excise policy, including extending undue favors to license holders, waiving or reducing the license fee, and extending the L-1 license without the competent authority’s approval. The CBI also stated that the beneficiaries diverted illegal gains to Sisodia and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

The CBI arrested Sisodia in February 2023, and he was later taken into custody by the ED from Tihar jail. Following his arrest by the CBI, Sisodia resigned as the deputy chief minister of Delhi.