उत्पाद शुल्क नीति मामले में SC ने AAP नेता संजय सिंह को जमानत दे दी।

SC grants bail to AAP leader Sanjay Singh in excise policy case.

The Supreme Court, with no objection from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), granted bail to Sanjay Singh, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, who was arrested by the agency in connection with the investigation into the Delhi liquor policy scam case.

A bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna approved Singh's bail after the ED stated it had no opposition to his release. Justices Dipankar Datta and P B Varale, who were also part of the bench, clarified that they had not made any judgment on the merits of the case.

During the hearing of Singh's bail plea earlier in the day, the bench had questioned the Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, who represented the agency, about its stance on the necessity of further detaining Singh, who had been arrested on October 4, 2023. In the post-lunch session, the law officer stated, "without delving into the merits, I am willing to concede on the bail matter given the unique circumstances."

Singh, represented by senior advocate A M Singhvi, argued that the case raised significant questions regarding the authority to arrest and the necessity of arrest in cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The senior counsel contended that there was no substantial evidence against Singh apart from statements from an approver, which could be questioned. Seeking the court's intervention, he argued that there was a clear violation of Section 19 of the PMLA and that Singh posed no flight risk or significant threat warranting denial of bail.

Singhvi highlighted that Singh was not initially implicated in the case, and the sole allegation leading to his arrest and remand was based on Rs 1 crore being handed over twice by the accused-turned-approver Dinesh Arora, a businessman. He emphasized that there was no corroboration from any eyewitness besides the approver. The bench then inquired about Singh's prolonged custody of almost six months and requested the Additional Solicitor General to confirm if his continued detention was necessary.

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