"Slap on the face of dictatorship": INDIA bloc hails Sisodia bail

Leaders from the INDIA bloc welcomed the Supreme Court's decision today, 9 August, to grant bail to former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the alleged excise policy case.

At the same time, opposition party leaders reiterated their concerns over the "blatant misuse of investigative agencies", which they claimed was exemplified in Sisodia's consecutive arrests by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

Sisodia, who was implicated in cases filed by the ED as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy, is set to be released after 17 months of imprisonment.

After the Supreme Court's decision, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activists erupted in jubilant celebration, distributing sweets.

AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh called the ruling a "victory of truth" and a "slap on the face of the Centre’s dictatorship".

Addressing a press conference soon after the verdict, Singh asserted that the investigative agencies are being used not to probe cases but to target opposition leaders.

Gopal Rai, another senior AAP leader, added that the bail is "not just a legal reprieve but a defeat for the BJP".

He said that the INDIA bloc would continue to raise in Parliament this issue of the misuse of central agencies.

The Congress, an ally of the AAP in the INDIA bloc, also expressed its satisfaction that the principle of "bail, not jail" had been upheld in the court's ruling.

"It's a good thing that the principle of bail not jail has been followed because the fact is that in our country that's what supposed to be the governing norm. It hasn't happened so far for the simple reason only the judiciary can explain," Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai said, "He faced a lot of atrocities... This is a big relief for Manish Sisodia."

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hoped this would also create a precedent and principle in the cases against imprisoned Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. "I hope that all will get the justice, especially AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who is still in jail," said Yadav.

DMK MP A. Raja expressed similar hopes of the tide turning, and said, "Now the opposition INDIA bloc (leaders) will come out of jail continuously."

Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, former chief minister, was another INDIA bloc stalwart who was released on bail on 28 June.

Soren had, after several rounds of ED questioning, opted to resign just ahead of his arrest, whereas Kejriwal refused to do so, stating that it would only encourage the Centre to act against more non-BJP chief ministers in order to disrupt the governments in those states. Trinamool supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had expressed a similar belief.

It is worth noting here that hearing Manish Sisodia's bail pleas, the Supreme Court observed that the ‘triple test’ under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) does not apply to him, given his prolonged 17-month incarceration and the delays in the trial.

The bench remarked, "In our experience, it seems that trial courts and high courts tend to play it safe when granting bail."

The court dismissed two key objections raised by the prosecution.

First, the prosecution argued that the case should be heard by the trial court, but the Supreme Court countered that a citizen should not be forced to "run from pillar to post" to seek relief.

Second, the court rejected the claim that the delays in the case were due to Sisodia’s repeated applications and filings. The bench opined that all of these applications were permitted by the trial court and none were deemed “frivolous.”

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responded to the ruling by stating that the granting of bail should not be interpreted as an acquittal.