Covid-19 Norm Violation: AAP MP Sanjay Singh Skips Court Hearing

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh failed to appear before an MP-MLA court in Sultanpur (UP) on Saturday in a 2021 COVID-19 norms violation case, citing his preoccupation with the ongoing Parliament session.

Sanjay Singh’s advocate, Madan Singh, stated that his client could not attend the special MP-MLA court due to the ongoing Parliament session.

An application regarding his absence was filed in the court, which has scheduled the next hearing for July 6.

During the last hearing, the court had issued a bailable warrant against Sanjay Singh for missing several hearings and set June 29 as the next date of hearing. Special Public Prosecutor Vaibhav Pandey noted that on April 13, 2021, an FIR was registered against Sanjay Singh at Bandhu Kala police station. The complaint alleged that he held a meeting in Hasanpur village to support the AAP’s district panchayat member Salma Begum.

Approximately 50 people attended the meeting, which was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic without prior permission from the local administration, Pandey said. This meeting was alleged to have violated the Epidemic Act and the Election Code of Conduct.

Following an investigation, the police filed a charge sheet against Sanjay Singh, Maqsood Ansari, Salim Ansari, Jagdish Yadav, Maqsood, Sukai, Dharmaraj, Zeeshan, Shaban, Sikandar, Jalil, and Ajay. While the other accused received bail in the case, the AAP leader did not appear in court, Pandey said.