A bench of justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan will be delivering the verdict at 10.30am on whether Sisodia is entitled to be released on bail
The Supreme Court on Friday will pronounce a decision on the bail pleas filed by former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi excise police case, probed separately by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED).
A bench of justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan will be delivering the verdict at 10.30am on whether Sisodia is entitled to be released on bail, more than 16 months after his arrest in February 2023, at a time when the trial in both the CBI and ED cases is yet to begin.
The agencies had argued that the petition was not maintainable as Sisodia was required to first approach the trial court. The order was reserved on Tuesday.
This is the third time Sisodia has approached the top court for bail. Last year, on October 30, the top court refused to grant him bail but kept a window open by allowing him to revive his bail plea if the trial fails to conclude in the next six to eight months or proceeds at a snail’s pace.
As the trial failed to begin in six months, Sisodia sought bail on the grounds of delay, but the Delhi high court rejected his plea on May 21. He approached the top court in June when ED told a vacation bench that it would be filing its complaint (or charge sheet) by July 3. Recording this submission, the court refused to go into the merits of the petition. Last month, Sisodia filed his third plea for bail, taking a second shot against the high court order of May 21.
After hearing elaborate arguments by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Sisodia, and additional solicitor general (ASG) SV Raju for the investigating agencies, the bench raised serious doubts over the possibility of the trial ending soon.