Former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, has escalated his legal battle by filing a petition in the Delhi High Court against the trial court’s acceptance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet in the contentious Excise Policy case. The plea filed by Sisodia contests that the chargesheet was processed and submitted without the requisite sanction from competent authorities, a critical oversight that may impact the legality of the proceedings.
Sisodia’s petition emphasizes that the allegations against him stem from his official actions taken in his former capacity as a public servant. He argues that the ED’s supplementary chargesheet was issued without prior approval from the appropriate authority, thus breaching established legal protocols.
The plea also highlights a discrepancy with established legal precedents, citing that the Special Court’s decision to take cognizance of the chargesheet without the necessary sanction renders the ongoing prosecution unlawful. Sisodia has urged the Delhi High Court to quash and set aside all proceedings initiated following the contested order.
Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri of the Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear the case today. The legal entanglements for Sisodia trace back to allegations tied to the Delhi liquor policy scam, involving charges of corruption and money laundering investigated by both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). After his arrest in February 2023, Sisodia faced a stringent legal journey, only securing bail from the Supreme Court in August for two cases linked to the alleged scam, following a denial by the Delhi High Court.
