Excise policy case: Court extends judicial custody of Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh

A court here on Saturday extended the judicial custody of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh until 3 February.

Both leaders — arrested in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case — were presented before special judge M.K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court through video-conference on the expiry of their previously extended judicial custody.

Singh and Sisodia were not presented physically in court because of security reasons and a lack of police personnel owing to Republic Day preparations.

The court also reserved its order for 24 January on a bail application of Sarvesh Mishra, who was charged alongside Singh. In his application against the summons, Mishra claimed that since he was not arrested during the investigation by the ED, no purpose would be served by sending him to jail after the charge sheet had already been filed by the agency on completion of the probe.

The ED did not oppose his bail application during the arguments. Order on co-accused Amit Arora's bail application was also reserved for the same date by the judge.

Last time, interim bail was granted to Mishra until the disposal of his regular bail application in the same case, where he is charged alongside Singh. The court had allowed time for the ED to file a fresh list of unrelied documents related to the case.

On 11 January, the AAP MP had moved the Delhi High Court, seeking bail in the money laundering case in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. The move came after judge Nagpal had, on 22 December, dismissed Singh's bail plea.