NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing to March 5, on AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) leader Sanjay Singh’s plea challenging his arrest and remand in a money laundering case in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.A two-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta adjourned the matter, to March 5, after it was informed by the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), that the order on Singh’s regular bail plea had been reserved by the Delhi High Court on January 31.Singh was arrested by the probe agency, Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 4 after it conducted a search at his residence. He has been in judicial custody since October 13 and has never been granted bail by any court. He, however, claimed innocence in the case.The Delhi High Court on October 20 had also rejected his plea challenging his arrest on the ground that it was an abuse of the legal process and in violation of the Supreme Court’s verdict.Singh then moved the Supreme Court, which is now seized of the matter, challenging the Delhi HC order,When Singh’s plea came up for hearing before the top court on November 20, it gave him the liberty to approach the trial court for bail following which he filed the present bail plea.As per the probe agency Singh, has been part of the conspiracy of collecting kickbacks from the liquor groups in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.The agency further said that the Rajya Sabha member of Parliament (MP), has has close relationship with liquor businessman Dinesh Arora, a key witness who was earlier accused by the CBI and the ED and later turned approver in the case, since 2017 as revealed by the latter as well as from his call records.Singh’s associates, Vivek Tyagi, Ajit Tyagi, and Sarvesh Mishra also had close relations with Dinesh Arora, the ED says. Sanjay Singh has received proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 2 crores in the ‘liquor scam ‘on two occasions, the remand note stated. Last month, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Sanjay Singh’s bail plea, saying that the plea was “premature” and the ED investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Source link
