The Supreme Court of India has granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam. This decision comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) expressed no objections to his release. The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Dipankar Datta, and P B Varale ruled that Singh can continue his political activities but is prohibited from making any statements regarding the case. Singh, who was admitted to a hospital on Tuesday morning, is expected to be discharged on Wednesday.
Singh’s release is significant as it coincides with the AAP facing a leadership vacuum ahead of the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to begin on April 19. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy Manish Sisodia are currently in Tihar Jail in connection with the same case. Additionally, K Kavitha, a leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is also incarcerated in connection with the matter.
Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj hailed the court’s decision as a triumph for democracy, while Singh’s wife Anita expressed her joy, emphasizing that the victory is incomplete until other AAP leaders are released. Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on October 4 in connection with the money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy.
The ED’s case originated from an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleging irregularities in modifying the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The report presented by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena highlighted procedural shortcomings and unilateral decisions made by Sisodia, the then-excise minister, resulting in financial losses to the exchequer.
The report also alleged that kickbacks received by the AAP government and leaders from alcohol businesses influenced elections in Punjab and Goa in 2022, leading to the AAP forming the government in Punjab. The CBI’s FIR named Sisodia and 14 others, including AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair. The ED accused AAP leaders of benefiting from loopholes in the policy, facilitating cartel formations.
Dinesh Arora, an approver in the money-laundering case, implicated Singh, claiming he arranged funds for AAP’s Delhi assembly election campaign and handed cash to Singh at his residence. However, during the hearing, Singh’s counsel argued that no money was recovered from him, and allegations could be contested in the trial.
The Supreme Court, after considering the ED’s stance and noting no objections to Singh’s bail, directed his release during the trial, specifying that this concession would not set a precedent for other jailed AAP leaders.
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