NEW DELHI: Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Friday dismissed Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's bail plea in the money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Special judge MK Nagpal pronounced the order. Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan represented Sisodia whereas Zoheb Hossain represented the ED.
The order which was scheduled to pronounce on Wednesday was postponed to Friday.
Earlier on April 18, the same court had reserved the order on the bail application.
The Aam Aadmi Party senior leader was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26. He was later arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9 at Tihar Jail for the liquor policy case.
Sisodia was arrested on the grounds that there was ample material to confront him with evidence, others accused and statements to seek his responses with respect to the proofs and facts on record.
Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, representing the AAP leader, submitted that it is not the job of the ED to tell what happened in the GoM and the cabinet, the job of the ED should be to tell if any crime was committed, and who benefited from it.
The lawyer argued that Sisodia cannot be kept in custody only on the basis of speculations. Sisodia’s lawyer submitted that no money laundering case was made out against him. The Enforcement Directorate has also opposed the bail plea and said, “an illegal ecosystem was created in view to give illegal benefits to liquor cartels to get kickbacks.”
Appearing for ED, Zohaib Hossain submitted before the Court that all the elements of conspiracy are present here in the matter. "Conspiracy is hatched in secrecy," said the ED lawyer. He also added that every process of activity dealing with the proceeds of crime is money laundering.
“We have proof that the policy was modified without any deliberation and discussion. And we also have sufficient statements from various concerned persons to show that the profit margin increased from 6 per cent to 12 per cent was meant as kickbacks,” said the ED said in court.
“In the matter, the expert committee suggested that individuals will apply and they will get two retail vends. This was to avoid cartelisation. This was supposed to happen through the lottery system but Manish Sisodia preferred the limited entity model,” said the central agency.
