AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has been in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since his arrest October last year in the alleged liquor excise policy scam.
New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court released Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh on bail, but it also asked the Enforcement Directorate, the organization that made the arrest, a number of pointed questions, such as why he had been detained for more than six months without being given a chance to defend himself or receive payment for an alleged bribe of ₹ 2 crore.
The opposition leader’s bail request was eventually granted by the probe agency, which had been specifically asked if there was a legitimate need for custody of Mr. Singh. Appearing on behalf of the ED, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju stated, “without going into merits, I will make a concession in the bail matter.”
“Nothing has been recovered… there is no trace (of the ₹ 100 crore the AAP allegedly received as bribes for allotting liquor licences to the ‘South Group’)…” The Supreme Court had warned the Enforcement Director previously.
The Supreme Court further noted that in his first comments, one of the accused, Dinesh Arora, had not really implicated Mr. Singh; rather, he had turned into an approver, or government witness.
After turning approver, Mr. Arora was freed on bond in August of last year.
Since his arrest in October of last year in connection with the alleged liquor excise policy scandal, which rocked the opposition party and resulted in the arrests of Mr. Sisodia and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal just weeks before a general election, Sanjay Singh has been housed in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
Charges of money laundering related to the purported scheme led to Mr. Singh’s detention.
The AAP leader has witnessed previous bail requests denied by lower courts, including the Delhi High Court, which decided in February despite the trial court’s instruction to “expedite the trial in the present case once it commences” and finding “no ground” for relief.
After a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Dipankar Datta, and Prasanna B. Varale declared that Mr. Singh might be discharged while the trial was pending, such relief was ultimately provided this afternoon.
The trial court will determine the terms and conditions of the release, according to the court. The fact that MP Sanjay Singh is able to engage in political activities—that is, run for office and support the AAP, which may be shorthanded in well-known leaders in the run-up to the elections—is noteworthy, though.
He has been advised not to discuss the ED’s inquiry, though.
The court further declared that Mr. Singh’s bail could not be used as precedent in other instances.
Atishi, a colleague and Delhi PWD Minister, expressed happiness about Mr. Singh’s release by posting on X (formerly Twitter) with the message “satyameva jayate,” or “the truth will win.” Since Chief Minister Kejriwal’s detention, Atishi has spearheaded the AAP’s resistance and claims of innocence.
She asserted this morning that if she and four other prominent AAP leaders do not join the Bharatiya Janata Party, they will be arrested by central agents in relation to the suspected liquor policy scandal. The opposition has consistently charged the BJP with targeting opponents with the help of central agencies, especially in the run-up to an election. Similarly, the BJP has always refuted these accusations.
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What Is the Alleged Scam of Delhi Liquor Policy?
The Enforcement Directorate asserts that the now-repeated liquor policy gave retailers an unconscionably large profit margin of 185% and wholesalers a profit margin of 12%. Six percent of the latter, or more than ₹ 600 crore, were bribes, and it is said that the AAP used the funds to finance its election campaigns.
The ED labeled Chief Minister Kejriwal the “kingpin” of this purported scam, and on March 21 he was taken into custody. Up to April 15, Mr. Kejriwal, who is still in charge of the Delhi administration, is being held in Tihar Jail.
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