On Thursday, a Delhi court prolonged the judicial confinement of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP MP Sanjay Singh in connection with the excise policy case until March 19th. The duo appeared before Special Judge M.K. Nagpal at the Rouse Avenue Court as their previous extension of judicial custody had come to an end. This pertains to the case under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) requested an extension of their judicial custody, citing the critical stage of the case. They expressed concerns that releasing the accused could potentially obstruct the ongoing investigation.

During the previous hearing, the Enforcement Directorate stated that Manish Sisodia's regular bail application should not be considered, as his curative petition is still pending before the Top Court. Special counsel Zoheb Hossain argued that seeking relief from two forums simultaneously goes against legal norms and urged the trial court to await the outcome of the curative petition before taking any action.

In response, senior advocate Mohit Mathur, representing Sisodia, questioned the rationale behind delaying the bail plea until the outcome of the curative petition. He referred to precedents from coal scam cases where trial proceedings continued despite pending special leave petitions in the Supreme Court. Recently, the court had granted Sisodia a three-day interim bail to attend his niece's wedding.

The excise policy case is being probed by both the ED and the CBI. (IANS)