Dainik Nation News Portal
The Rouse Avenue Court, Delhi has asked AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who got bail from Supreme Court, to surrender his passport on Wednesday. Singh was granted bail upon furnishing a bail bond of Rs 2 lakh and providing one surety of the same amount, which was fulfilled by his wife.
This decision came after the Supreme Court’s Tuesday ruling granting bail to Singh, following the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) admission that it had no objections to his release.
Sanjay Singh, a member of the Rajya Sabha, had spent six months in custody. The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Dipankar Datta, and P B Varale, approved his release, noting that no money was found in his possession, nor was there any trace of it.
While Singh is permitted to resume his political activities, he is restricted from making any statements related to the case. The conditions of his bail will be set by the special court overseeing the trial.
During the afternoon session, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate, informed the court that the agency had no objections to Singh’s release on bail. The bench acknowledged this and allowed Singh’s appeal, ordering his release pending trial.
However, the court clarified that Singh’s bail should not be seen as setting a precedent and should not automatically assist other AAP leaders currently in custody, such as Arvind Kejriwal, who face similar charges.
The bench stressed that the bail was granted based on the ED’s concession and not on the merits of the case. Singh’s plea challenging the denial of bail by the Delhi High Court was heard alongside an appeal challenging his arrest and remand in the money laundering case.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Singh, argued that his client’s arrest was based on statements made by approver Dinesh Arora, who had named Singh in his tenth statement recorded before the agency.
Singh was arrested by the ED on October 4 last year in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam during the 2021-22 policy period. The ED alleged that Singh was involved in acquiring, possessing, concealing, dissipating, and using proceeds of the crime generated from the said scam.
The money laundering case, initiated by the ED, stemmed from the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The allegations center around irregularities in modifying the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and extending undue favors to license holders.
This bail grant to the Rajya Sabha member comes as a relief to the embattled AAP during the ongoing Lok Sabha election campaign. Two of its top leaders, national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, are currently in jail in connection with the same case.
The Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1, with Delhi voting on May 25. Vote counting is set for June 4.
