Sisodia’s judicial custody extended till May 30

A Delhi court on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia till May 30 in a corruption case related to an alleged excise scam.

Special judge for CBI and ED Kaveri Baweja also fixed May 30 for further arguments on framing of charges in the case. The judge noted that an application for postponement of arguments on the charge is pending before the high court. Sisodia and other accused persons in custody were produced before the court through video-conferencing from prison.

The court had on April 30 dismissed the bail pleas of Sisodia in corruption and money laundering cases, lodged by the CBI and the ED in relation to the alleged scam. The court had reserved the order after hearing arguments from the CBI and ED as well as the counsel appearing for Sisodia.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday listed for hearing on July 11 Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging the summonses issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its probe into the excise policy-linked money laundering case.

A bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait granted four more weeks to the AAP leader, who was given interim bail till June 1 by the Supreme Court for campaigning in the Lok Sabha Elections, to file a rejoinder to the reply submitted by the ED. The counsel for the ED has earlier said the petition against the summonses was infructuous after Kejriwal’s arrest by the agency on March 21 in the money laundering case following the high court’s refusal to grant him interim protection from coercive action.

On Wednesday, the agency’s lawyer said the petitioner must choose the forum before which he would press his issues.

The court also observed that a single judge of the high court, while rejecting the AAP leader’s petition against his arrest, has already dealt with his grievances and an appeal against the decision was pending in the top court.