The Supreme Court on Wednesday relaxed bail
conditions of AAP leader Manish Sisodia which required him to report to the
investigating officer twice a week in the corruption and money laundering cases
related to the Delhi excise policy.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan
relaxed the conditions, saying they were not necessary.
"The petitioner shall regularly attend the
trial," the bench said.
The apex court on November 22 agreed to hear
Sisodia's pleas and issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking their responses on the
applications.
On August 9, the apex court had granted him bail in
the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise
policy scam, saying long incarceration for 17 months without trial had deprived
him of his right to speedy trial.
The apex court had imposed conditions, including
that he shall report to the investigating officer on every Monday and Thursday
between 10 and 11 am.
During the hearing on November 22, Singhvi had said
the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader had appeared before the investigating officers
60 times.
The former Delhi deputy chief minister was arrested
by both the CBI and the ED in corruption and money laundering cases linked to
the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
He was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023 for
purported irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now
scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
The following month, the ED arrested him in the
money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023. He resigned
from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.
Sisodia has denied the allegations.
In its August 9 verdict granting bail to Sisodia in
both the cases, the apex court had said it was high time that the trial courts
and the high courts should recognise the principle that "bail is rule and
jail is exception".
"We find that, on account of a long period of
incarceration running for around 17 months and the trial even not having been
commenced, the appellant (Sisodia) has been deprived of his right to speedy
trial," it had said.
The top court had directed him to furnish a bail
bond of Rs 10 lakh with two sureties of the like amount.
It had directed that Sisodia shall surrender his
passport with the special court and not make any attempt either to influence
the witnesses or to tamper with the evidence.
The apex court had set aside the May 21 verdict of
the Delhi High Court, which had dismissed Sisodia's pleas seeking bail in both
these cases.
The ED and the CBI had opposed his bail pleas.