New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in alleged excise policy scam, noting that he has been in custody for 17 months.

A bench of justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said Sisodia has been in custody for 17 months and trial has not yet commenced, depriving him of the right to speedy trial.

The bench added that it would be a travesty of justice to relegate him to the trial court for seeking bail in these cases and it is high time that the trial courts and high courts recognise that the principle of bail is a rule and jail is an exception.

The apex court directed that Sisodia be released on bail on a personal bond of Rs 10 lakh with two sureties of the like amount.

Hailing Sisodia's bail as a "victory of truth", AAP's (Aam Aadmi Party) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, said, "This verdict is a slap on the Centre's dictatorship. He was in jail for 17 months. His life was destroyed in those months. He could have worked for the education of children during that time."

"We hope that other leaders of the party, Arvind Kejriwal and Satyendar Jain, will also get bail and justice. I bow down before the Supreme Court for this verdict," he added.

This verdict is a big boost for the AAP, he said.

In a post on X in Hindi, party MP Raghav Chadha said, "The whole country is happy today as Manish Sisodia, the hero of Delhi education revolution, got bail. I express my gratitude to the Honorable Supreme Court from the bottom of my heart."

"Manish ji was kept behind the bars for 530 days. His crime was that he gave a better future to the children of the poor. Dear children, your Manish uncle is coming back," Chadha said.

Delhi Education minister Atishi posted "Satyamev Jayate" on X.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in February 2023 for his alleged role in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. Following that, ED nabbed him in a money laundering case.

He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28.