Delhi liquor case: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to respond to a bail plea filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh, who was arrested in connection with a money laundering case related to the excise policy scam. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma has issued a notice to the investigating agency and scheduled further hearings for January 29.
Sanjay Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, was arrested by the ED in October last year. Meanwhile, he has challenged the dismissal of his bail plea by a trial court on December 22 in the money laundering case.
Senior advocate Mohit Mathur, representing Singh, argued that the AAP leader has been in custody for the past three months, and no specific role in the underlying offence has been attributed to him.
According to the ED, Singh allegedly played a significant role in the formulation and execution of the now-abandoned excise policy, which allegedly provided monetary benefits to certain liquor manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers in exchange for favours.
Charges against Sanjay Singh
The anti-money laundering agency had arrested Singh on October 4. The ED has alleged that Singh played a key role in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped 2021-2022 excise policy, which benefited certain liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, for monetary considerations. However, Singh has rejected the claim and denied any wrongdoing.
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was already arrested in February this year by the CBI in the alleged liquor policy scam. Former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain was the first AAP leader, close to Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested in a money laundering case last year. However, he is currently out on bail on medical grounds.
AAP re-nominates Sanjay Singh to Rajya Sabha
Meanwhile, a Delhi Court has granted permission to Singh to sign documents for his Rajya Sabha re-nomination, given that his current term concludes on January 27. Ahead of the end of his current term, the jailed AAP leader has been nominated again by the party for the Upper House. To facilitate the process of obtaining a 'No Dues Certificate' from Rajya Sabha, an application was submitted in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court seeking authorisation to obtain Singh's signature on an 'Undertaking.'
(With PTI inputs)
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