Supreme Court Upholds Sacrosanct Right to Speedy Trial in Sisodia's Bail

The Supreme Court has emphasized the sacrosanct right to a speedy trial and granted bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who spent 17 months in custody without his trial commencing. The court cited previous judgments and noted that custody is mainly to ensure a suspect’s presence in court.

The Supreme Court has reiterated the importance of the right to a speedy trial, deeming it sacrosanct. The declaration came as the court granted bail to senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia, who has been incarcerated for 17 months without the commencement of his trial in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the Delhi excise policy scam.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan emphasized that prolonged pre-trial incarceration should not become 'punishment without trial.' The court also pointed out that Sisodia was not a flight risk and had deep societal roots, hence there was little chance of him absconding or tampering with evidence.

Addressing the concerns raised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about evidence tampering, the bench imposed conditions to mitigate such risks. Sisodia will surrender his passport and report bi-weekly to the investigating officer. The former deputy chief minister was initially arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023.