In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Wednesday relaxed the bail conditions for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, granting his plea to modify the requirement to report to the Investigating Officer twice a week. The court decided to remove the condition that Sisodia report every Monday and Thursday between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., deeming it unnecessary. However, the court directed Sisodia to continue attending trial court proceedings regularly.
This decision follows Sisodia’s request to ease the stringent bail conditions imposed earlier. The Bench, led by Justice B.R. Gavai, ruled that the bail condition of reporting to the Investigating Officer was no longer relevant, as the case involves extensive documentation and numerous witnesses, making a quick trial unlikely.
Sisodia, who had been granted bail in August this year, had challenged his long detention, emphasizing his constitutional right to liberty under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The court had previously expressed concerns about the prolonged incarceration, noting that the trial was unlikely to conclude soon due to the vast amount of evidence involved in the excise policy case.
In addition to the relaxation of bail conditions, Sisodia’s petition against the trial court’s decision to take cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate’s complaint in the liquor policy case is currently pending before the Delhi High Court. Sisodia has argued that the trial court should not have proceeded without obtaining prior sanction for prosecution, as he held a public office at the time of the alleged offence.
The matter will be heard again on December 20, alongside a similar petition by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal seeking a stay on the trial proceedings for lack of sanction.
