Delhi Court Orders Tihar Officials to take Sanjay Singh for Oath-taking as Rajya Sabha MP on Mar 19

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court has directed the concerned Tihar Jail Superintendent to ensure that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Leader Sanjay Singh is escorted to Parliament on March 19, 2024, with adequate security arrangements for the purpose of taking an oath as a Member of Parliament (Rajyasabha).

Presently in judicial custody, Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-repealed Delhi excise policy.

In an order issued on March 16, 2024, Special Judge MK Nagpal stated that during this visit, the accused, Sanjay Singh, shall not be allowed to use any mobile phone or engage in conversation with any other accused, suspect, or witness of this case, as well as those connected to the CBI case. Additionally, he shall not be permitted to address the press or hold any public meetings. However, he may be permitted to meet his counsel and family members during the said visit, the Court noted.

Permission for this purpose was also granted by the court earlier in February, but the oath could not be administered due to certain reasons.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, Sanjay Singh was allegedly involved in activities related to acquiring, possessing, concealing, dissipating, and utilizing proceeds of crime generated from the Delhi Liquor Scam during the policy period of 2021-22.

In this case, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, and the concerned court has remanded her to custody until March 23, 2024. She was apprehended by the ED team in Hyderabad on Friday and subsequently brought to Delhi for further proceedings.

Kavitha’s arrest followed a day-long questioning and a raid at her residence in Hyderabad.

The ED has filed its initial chargesheet in the case, stating that it has conducted nearly 200 search operations so far after filing an FIR based on a CBI case registered on the recommendation of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor.

Officials indicated that the CBI inquiry was initiated based on the findings of the Delhi Chief Secretary’s report filed in July, which highlighted prima facie violations of various regulations including the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010.

Both the ED and the CBI alleged irregularities in modifying the Excise Policy, extending undue favors to license holders, waiving or reducing license fees, and extending the L-1 license without proper authorization. The beneficiaries were accused of diverting “illegal” gains to the accused officials and falsifying entries in their accounting books to evade detection.

Allegedly, the Excise Department decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of approximately Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against established rules. Additionally, despite the absence of a provision, a waiver on tendered license fees was permitted from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19, resulting in an alleged loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer.