Delhi liquor policy case: SC notice to Centre, ED on AAP leader Sanjay Singh’s plea against arrest

According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and undue favours were extended to licence holders.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre and the Enforcement Directorate on a plea filed by AAP leader and Rajya MP Sanjay Singh against his arrest on October 4 and subsequent remand in a money laundering case in the connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. 

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S V N Bhatti sought a reply from the Union government and the ED.

The court fixed the matter for consideration on December 11.

The bench said that if Singh files a petition for regular bail in the interregnum, then it should be considered independent of the observation, made in the Delhi High Court’s judgment.

Singh approached the apex court against the high court judgment of October 20, which had declined to interfere with his arrest in the case.

The high court had said that it cannot impute political motive to a premier investigating agency in the absence of material on record. The high court noted that it has the responsibility to balance the rights of the accused and the interests of the state.

On October 30, the Supreme Court dismissed bail pleas of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia who was arrested in the Delhi liquor policy scam. Dismissing Sisodia’s bail pleas, a bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and S V N Bhatti had said “one aspect regarding transfer of money Rs 338 crores, is tentatively established. We dismiss application for bail”.

Singh had moved the high court challenging his arrest and remand in the money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.

The high court had observed that it does not consider the case as one of no evidence at all, and also the case is at a nascent stage and the court finds no grounds to interfere.

“This court will not insinuate at this stage or impute any political motive to the investigating agency in absence of any material on record and does not consider it a prima facie case of no evidence at all,” the high court had said.