While dismissing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia’s bail application in the liquor policy case on Tuesday, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court rejected his contention that the proceedings in the case have been delayed or protracted or moving at a snail’s pace.
The court concluded that it was not inclined to grant either regular or interim bail to Sisodia at this stage.
Sisodia had filed for bail in terms of the Supreme Court’s order from October last year, when, while denying him bail, the top court had granted him the liberty to file for bail again if the trial proceeds at a snail’s pace.
The Rouse Avenue Court, in strongly worded remarks, said there was a concerted effort by Sisodia and the other accused to cause delay in the matter.
‘CLAIM OF DELAY IN PROCEEDINGS NOT ACCEPTABLE’
“It is apparent that Sisodia individually, and along with different accused, has been filing one or the other application/making oral submissions frequently, some of them frivolous, that, too, on a piecemeal basis, apparently as a concerted effort to accomplish the shared purpose of causing delay in the matter,” the court said.
According to the court, Sisodia’s argument that he has not contributed to delay in proceedings or that the case has been proceeding at a “snail’s pace” cannot be accepted.
The court observed that the steady progression of the case, despite the apparent attempts to slow down its progress, cannot, by any standards, be equated with “snail’s pace”.
The court opined that the ‘so¬ called delay’ caused in progression of the case is also clearly on account of reasons attributable to the applicant.
BAIL ON GROUNDS OF WIFE’S ILLNESS ALSO REJECTED
The court also refused to grant bail to Sisodia on grounds of his wife’s illness, noting that his wife had been suffering from the said ailment for a long time and had also been receiving the requisite medical treatment and care for the same.
According to the court, Sisodia has disclosed no imminent or urgent need or any medical emergency warranting his release on bail for this reason.
Source Agencies
