Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has moved the Delhi High Court, challenging the trial court’s decision to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s chargesheet in the Excise Policy case.
Sisodia’s petition argues that the chargesheet was filed without obtaining the required sanction approval from the competent authorities, making it unlawful.
The plea points out that the allegations against Sisodia involve official actions carried out in his capacity as a public servant.
It further states that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed the chargesheet without prior sanction from the relevant authority, which is a mandatory legal requirement for such cases.
Sisodia contends that the Special Court’s decision to proceed with the chargesheet, despite the lack of this crucial sanction, contradicts established legal precedents. The petition stresses that the prosecution, in this case, cannot proceed without the necessary sanction and is therefore unlawful.
As a result, Sisodia is seeking an order from the Delhi High Court to quash the chargesheet and set aside all related proceedings, both before and after the trial court’s order. The hearing of the case is scheduled for Monday before a bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri in the Delhi High Court.
This challenge follows a significant legal development earlier this year. In August 2024, the Supreme Court granted bail to Sisodia in two cases related to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.
The court had heard Sisodia’s pleas for bail in cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), both of which involve allegations of corruption and money laundering.
Sisodia had been arrested in February 2023, but his bail plea had been previously rejected by the Delhi High Court. This new challenge in the Delhi High Court, seeking to have the chargesheet quashed, is another step in Sisodia’s legal battle against the charges levelled against him.
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