After the dismissal of the bail plea of former Delhi Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in cases related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy case, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi said the party respects the Supreme Court but “respectfully disagree” with its decision and will explore all available legal options before taking further action.
Addressing a press conference here, the Delhi cabinet minister said the order of dismissal of Sisodia’s bail plea contradicts the proceedings during the hearing.
She said during the proceedings, the apex court had repeatedly asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about the money trail associated with Manish Sisodia, which the ED failed to establish.
Atishi said if the ED cannot demonstrate the flow of money to Manish Sisodia, questions about money laundering and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) should not arise. Despite sharp comments from the ED, the court issued an opposite order today refusing bail to Manish Sisodia, she said.
“During the Supreme Court’s hearing of Manish Sisodia’s bail plea, the court asked sharp probing questions from the prosecution. The bench repeatedly asked the ED where the ‘money trail’ related to Manish Sisodia was. It questioned whether he or his family members had received any money, or if any company linked to his family members had ever received any money,” Atishi said.
She mentioned that the Supreme Court repeatedly questioned how it could be a money laundering or PMLA case if the ED could not establish any money trail related to Manish Sisodia.
She said the apex court also inquired why the entire prosecution case of the ED relied solely on the statements of one approver, Dinesh Arora.
“During the hearing, it was argued in court that an approver could say anything to save himself and his statements cannot be trusted. Additionally, the Supreme Court stated that policy-making was not within its purview, and even if lobbying occurred in policy-making, it was not necessarily illegal. PMLA could only be imposed if there was clear evidence of money being given from one person to another with the intent to convert black money into white or engage in money laundering,” she said.
The senior AAP leader further said, “Despite these significant observations, today the Supreme Court issued an opposite verdict. The Supreme Court’s order has been uploaded to its website, and we will carefully study all the legal aspects. Our legal team and the AAP will conduct a thorough examination, and our next steps will be decided based on the available options.”
Atishi said they (the AAP) respect the Supreme Court but respectfully disagree with the court’s decision given today. “They will explore all available legal options before taking further action. The AAP is an honest party, and the Delhi Government, under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, has not been involved in any corruption cases to date,” she said.
She reiterated, “I still have full confidence today that, no matter how many cases there may be against the Aam Aadmi Party, in the end, not a single case of corruption will be proven against the AAP because AAP has never committed corruption and will never do so.”