During the bail pleas of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Sanjiv Khanna emphasized that the bench's inquiry was focused on a legal matter and not aimed at accusing anyone.
"We want to clarify that our question yesterday was not to implicate anyone. Suppose if as per the prosecution if A is not being prosecuted can B or C be prosecuted? " he asked, adding that the query was posed in this context.
The Supreme Court resumed the hearing of Manish Sisodia's bail applications, which are related to cases filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged Excise Policy case.
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A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S.V.N Bhatti presided over the proceedings.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, after presenting the bench with evidence and statements from the approver, concluded by bringing the court's attention to media headlines that suggested the apex court had inquired why the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was not implicated in the PMLA case by the ED.
Singhvi expressed his concern regarding how these headlines from prominent media channels and newspapers had potentially distorted the bench's query.
He informed the bench about news channels speculating that AAP might be implicated in court proceedings based on these statements.
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Justice Khanna acknowledged his awareness of these reports but emphasized that media headlines do not influence the decisions of the apex court.
Addressing the reports regarding AAP's involvement in the PMLA case, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the ED, clarified that when questioned by the media earlier, he had merely stated, "If there is evidence, we will not spare anybody."
During the previous hearing of Sisodia's bail plea, the bench had inquired of the ED why AAP had not been named as an accused party, considering the case's focus on the party's alleged benefits.
