SC sets Manish Sisodia free, says unlimited incarceration violates fundamental right
Image credit X.com
Manish Sisodia gets bail after 17-month in Tihar Jail
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, August 9: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia in the Liquor scam. The apex court ruled that keeping an accused in jail for unlimited duration violates the fundamental right.
The two-judge bench of the Supreme Court also set aside the High Court order to deny bail to Sisodia. The apex court order will end the 17-month-long jail ordeals for Sisodia.
The Supreme Court bench rejected the contentions of the investigative agencies that the accused could tamper with the evidence. The apex court stated that the evidence are already with the agencies in the documentary form.
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In a major relief to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, the Supreme Court observed that Sisodia has deep roots in the society. The two-judge bench of the Supreme Court consisted of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan. The two-judge bench had earlier reserved the order on the bail plea of Sisodia.
The lawyer of Sisodia, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, had argued before the Supreme Court that the former chief minister had been lodged in the Tihar Jail for the past 17 months, while trials are yet to begin.
The Supreme Court judgment is being seen as an affirmation of the maxim that “bail is norm, and jail is an exception”. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is also lodged in the Tihar Jail.
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The Supreme Court had granted bail to Delhi chief minister in the excise scam, but he was arrested by the Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) afterwards. K. Kavitha of the Bharath Rashtra Party is also languishing in jail in the excise scam.
The Supreme Court order has been quoted by Live Law in posts on X, formerly Twitter, saying that the “same conditions applied on the bail for Kejriwal will also apply on Sisodia”. Thus, Sisodia will not be able to resume his role in the Delhi government.
Justice Gavai has also been quoted having said that “every day counts in the matter of liberty”. For past 17 months, Sisodia had been in the Tihar Jail during which he missed out from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections.
The AAP leader Sanjay Singh had also got the bail from the Supreme Court. Former Delhi minister Satyender Jain is also languishing in the Tihar Jail for over two years now.
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