Manish Sisodia, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), faced disappointment in the Delhi court as it deferred its decision on his plea for interim bail in excise cases to enable him to participate in campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The court announced that the order would be reserved until April 30.
Earlier, on April 12, the court had issued notices to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in response to Sisodia’s plea. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who presides over cases involving the CBI and ED, instructed the central probe agencies to submit their replies by April 20.
The allegations put forth by both the CBI and ED assert irregularities in the modification of Delhi’s excise policy. They claimed that undue favors were granted to license holders, fees were either waived or reduced, and licenses were extended without the requisite approvals from competent authorities.
According to the probe agencies, the beneficiaries allegedly diverted illicit gains to implicated officials and resorted to falsifying records to evade detection.
Despite legal challenges, Sisodia retains significance within AAP as one of its leading campaigners for the Lok Sabha elections, particularly in Gujarat, where he, along with other incarcerated leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal and Satyendar Jain, has been designated as a star campaigner.
The court’s decision to postpone its ruling underscores the ongoing legal intricacies surrounding Sisodia’s plea and emphasizes the broader implications for both the political landscape and legal proceedings.
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