The BJP on Friday said that the bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy irregularities cases was not on grounds of merit but on the basis of ‘delay’ in trial and said the AAP leader has not been proven innocent.

The saffron party’s reaction came after the Supreme Court granted bail to Sisodia in the excise policy irregularities cases.

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Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters here, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said this year only, the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister’s bail plea has been rejected seven times.

“On 26th February 2023, Manish Sisodia was arrested. It was his 8th attempt to seek bail. Today, his lawyers did not present any case for his bail based on merit, rather his plea was based on a delay in the trial,” she said.

“I am here to debunk the myth and rumour that AAP is trying to spread through the decision of his release,” Swaraj said.

Manish Sisodia has not been proven innocent, she said.

Manish Sisodia is still answerable to the people of Delhi and to the Court of Law, the BJP MP said.

“Granting of bail does not mean that he (Sisodia) has been absolved of charges, he remains prime accused in the liquor policy case and is answerable to court of law,” Swaraj said.

She also said that Sisodia’s counsels did not argue on merits of the case and sought relief only on grounds of delay.

The BJP MP further said the happiness in the AAP camp is understood but the fact that Sisodia got bail after 17 months in jail shows “gravity” of the charges and his “role” in the alleged liquor scam.

She also shed light on the charges against the former Deputy CM and highlighted that more than 170 mobile phones were destroyed at his orders, as per the chargesheet.

“It was the trial court which called him prima facie architect of Delhi liquor scam. The Supreme Court found a dubious money transaction of about Rs 338 crore,” she said.

Reacting to AAP MP Raghav Chadha’s claims that Sisodia was jailed because of his promise of a better future to Delhi’s children, she said the AAP may feign innocence but this won’t clear it of the “crime” that it committed.

“Sisodia and the AAP leadership deserve full blame for pushing Delhi’s children from ‘paathshaala’ to ‘madhushala’,” she said.

When questioned on Delhi’s declining education standards, she said due to AAP founder Arvind Kejriwal’s insistence on sticking to the Chief Minister’s post despite incarceration, the national capital is witnessing “zero governance” and “policy paralysis”.