Court extends Sisodia, Sanjay’s judicial custody

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, and AAP MP, Sanjay Singh, in the excise policy case by five days.

The two were produced before Special Judge, MK Nagpal, of Rouse Avenue Court on expiry of their previously-extended judicial custody, and now they will remain in jail till March 7 in the case being probed by the ED. A detailed order is awaited.

On January 17, the court had reserved its decision on whether to entertain Sisodia’s regular bail plea in the case considering his pending curative petition before the Supreme Court, following arguments from both the ED and Sisodia’s legal counsels.

The ED had, in the previous hearing, said that Sisodia’s regular bail application should not be entertained while his curative petition is pending before the top court.

Special counsel Zoheb Hossain had argued that seeking relief simultaneously from two forums is impermissible under legal discipline, urging the trial court to await the disposal of the curative petition.

In response, senior advocate Mohit Mathur, representing Sisodia, had questioned the rationale behind withholding the bail plea until the curative petition’s outcome.

He had cited precedents from the coal scam cases where trial proceedings continued despite pending Special Leave Petitions in the Supreme Court.

The court had recently granted three-day interim bail to Sisodia to attend his niece’s wedding.

The excise policy case is being probed by both the ED and the CBI.