Relief for AAP MP Sanjay Singh as Supreme Court grants him bail

Relief for AAP MP Sanjay Singh as Supreme Court grants him bail
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to AAP leader Sanjay Singh – who has been in jail since October last year — in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam after the Enforcement Directorate said it had no objection to Singh being released on bail.

“We direct that Sanjay Singh be released on bail on terms and conditions fixed by the trial court,” a three-judge Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, noting that he has been behind the bars for six months.

However, the Bench – which also included Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice PB Varale clarified that the concession given to Singh will not be treated as a precedence. Singh was arrested in the case by the ED on October 4, 2023.

The order came after Additional Solicitor General SV Raju told the Bench that ED had no objection if Singh was released on bail during the pendency of proceedings. Raju’s submission was in response to the court’s query if the ED needed Singh’s further custody.

The Bench said if there were no instructions from the probe agency, the ASG can argue on merits and the matter can be decided accordingly. Though the ED had an arguable case, it was ready to concede and thus Singh may be released on bail, ASG Raju told the Bench. “Without going into merits, I will make a concession in the bail matter in the peculiar facts,” Raju submitted.

The development came a day after Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was sent to 14-day judicial custody in a money laundering case related to Delhi excise policy scam.

Two other AAP leaders – former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and former Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain – continue to be in jail in separate money laundering cases.

The Supreme Court had on February 26 asked the ED to respond to Singh’s bail plea in a money-laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna had issued a notice to the ED on Singh’s petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s February 7 order refusing to grant him bail.

While rejecting the bail application of Singh, who has been re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Delhi, the high court had directed the trial court to expedite the trial once it took off. The ED alleged that an employee of businessman Dinesh Arora delivered Rs 2 crore to Singh’s house on two occasions.