The SC Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhati granted the request brought jointly by Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Sisodia’s attorney, and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, who was representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED). His bail plea will be heard on October 4 now.
Due to Sisodia’s request for temporary release on bail because of his wife’s critical medical condition, Singhvi informed the court that the situation was urgent. Additionally, he has asked for regular bail in several unrelated instances that are now under investigation by the ED and the CBI in relation to suspected inconsistencies in the Delhi excise policy.
After the case was postponed, Singhvi informed the Supreme Court that a newspaper item about the case is published each time it is scheduled to be listed. We haven’t read the papers, the bench retorted. We are not bothered by it. We need to adjust to it. Singhvi promised to create a chart outlining the chronology of press stories as well as the dates on which the case was officially listed with the court.
The ED and CBI have already responded to Sisodia’s request for bail by submitting charts that show the crime’s modus operandi and how the accused benefited from the changes Sisodia made to the excise policy while he was the minister in charge of that portfolio. They are opposing his request.
According to Singhvi, this is the central government’s most colorful graphic that has ever been shown in a court, and his client has filed a response to the charts to refute any evidence of proceeds of crime in the case.
Sisodia had moved the Supreme Court challenging two separate orders passed by the Delhi High Court on July 4 and May 30 respectively. He was denied bail in the ED and CBI cases. In addition, he had requested temporary release on bail due to the protracted nature of his wife’s auto-immune disease, for which she has been receiving treatment since 2000.
The senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader provided the most recent medical reports, dated July 29, in support of his petition, which claimed that his wife’s condition was deteriorating because she was gradually losing her vision, having trouble walking, and having fewer bowel movements. Sisodia asked the court to release him on bond for at least two weeks due to humanitarian concerns because no one else in the family could care for her.