Today, the Supreme Court granted former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia’s request to relax the bail condition that required him to mark his attendance before the investigating officer every Monday and Thursday in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan removed the bail condition that required Manish Sisodia to report to the investigating officer twice a week in connection with the corruption and money laundering cases related to the Delhi excise policy. However, the Court emphasized that Sisodia must attend the trial proceedings without fail.

"Application filed to relax condition, which requires him to visit police station twice a week. We hold that the condition is not needed and thus deleted. However, the applicant shall regularly attend trial," the Court said in its order.

Last year, in August, the Supreme Court granted bail to Manish Sisodia in the cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning the now-repealed Delhi Excise Policy. The Court approved his plea after observing that the extended delay in the trial infringed upon his right to a speedy trial, a fundamental aspect of liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The bail was granted subject to the following conditions:

bail bonds for a sum of ₹10,00,000 with two sureties of the like amount;

surrender of his passport;

report to the investigating officer (IO) on every Monday and Thursday between 10-11 AM.

Manish Sisodia approached the court seeking relaxation of the final bail condition. He had been in custody from February 26, 2023, until he was granted bail in August this year.

The case against Sisodia and other AAP leaders centers around allegations that the Delhi Excise Policy was altered to favor certain liquor vendors in exchange for bribes, which were allegedly used to fund the party’s election campaign in Goa. Sisodia had filed several bail applications earlier, all of which were unsuccessful, before he was ultimately granted bail in August. 

Sisodia was also represented by Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and advocates Vivek Jain, Mohd Irshad, Suchitra Kumbhat, Amit Bhandari, Rajat Jain, and Sadiq Noor.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju appeared for the Enforcement Directorate (ED).