The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its
judgement on former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's bail plea in the
2021-22 excise policy case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI).
The senior AAP leader had moved to the high court on
April 3, seeking bail in the case on the grounds of his wife's illness.
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma directed the jail
superintendent to provide Sisodia with video conferencing facility to speak to
his wife every alternate day between 3-4 p.m. as per prison rules, till
disposal of bail plea.
The CBI on Wednesday opposed the bail plea, arguing
that the former Deputy Chief Minister was in a position of power and had
political clout.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju,
appearing for the probe agency, said that Sisodia controlled various
departments including the excise and had wilfully destroyed evidence and a
mobile phone on the day the matter was referred by the Lieutenant Governor to
the CBI.
Before the bench of Justice Sharma, the CBI also
referred to a "missing file" relating to the policy documents and
said that it went missing probably because it contained some notings which were
not palatable.
The ASG said: "Our case is that the note was
destroyed or it was made to disappear. We have evidence to show that he was the
last person who was handed over this file which contained the cabinet note. He
is capable of tampering with the evidence."
Previously, Raju had submitted that "the change
from 5 per cent to 12 per cent in the interest rate was made to get the
kickback money. He (Sisodia) made the policy in such a way that guaranteed
return in the form of kickbacks came".
"Sisodia concealed legal experts' opinions
given by eminent personalities as well. He hadn't mentioned it anywhere. It was
ignored completely. They (members of AAP) did not include it in the
policy," the ASG had added.
On Monday, a Delhi court extended Sisodia's judicial
custody till May 23 in a case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The ED had arrested Sisodia on March 9 after the
CBI's arrest on February 26.
Last month, Special CBI Judge M.K. Nagpal of the
Rouse Avenue Court denied bail to Sisodia, holding that the evidence, prima
facie, "speaks volumes" of his involvement in the offence.
In the case being probed by the CBI, the Delhi court
extended Sisodia's judicial custody till May 12.