A Delhi Raos Avenue court granted three-day interim bail to former deputy prime minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case.

Sisodia sought interim bail to attend his niece’s wedding. CBI special judge MK Nagpal granted him interim bail from February 13 to 15.

Earlier on February 5, the court allowed Sisodia to visit his ailing wife once a week while in custody. Special Judge MK Nagpal also extended Sisodia’s judicial custody till February 22 after he was produced before the court on expiry of his remand.

The bench passed the order while deferring his bail application in a case related to the excise policy filed before the CBI and ED. Sisodia had sought parole custody and would visit his ailing wife twice a week. Meanwhile, the bench directed the CBI to submit a detailed status report on its further investigation into the alleged excise policy case before the next hearing on February 22. The judge passed instructions to the CBI after defense lawyers objected to “incomplete disclosure” of the status of the investigation.

During the proceedings, the CBI submitted a report stating that the investigation was ongoing and at a critical stage, adding that the investigation against the 16 accused accused has been completed. The investigative agency said further investigations were underway against other accused and suspects in the case and raised the possibility that the court would resolve the issue over arguments over the charges.

Defense lawyers objected to the CBI’s submission, saying the status report was incomplete. “We only received a translated copy of the document today and we need time to review it,” he said. He added that there was no point in arguing over the charges until the investigation was complete.

The court also directed the CBI to install software in the laptops of defense lawyers so that they can access the voluminous files related to the case. Sisodia resigned as Delhi deputy on February 26 last year after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested him for alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now scrapped Delhi GST policy for 2021-22. Chief Minister’s office. On March 9, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sisodia from Tihar Jail in a money laundering case arising out of the excise policy issue.

(with PTI input)