Delhi Court Permits Sanjay Singh to Take Oath as Rajya Sabha MP in Custody

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday granted permission to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh to take oath as Rajya Sabha MP on February 5, 2024, while in custody in the Delhi Excise Policy money laundering case.

The court extended the judicial custody of Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and AAP MP Sanjay Singh until February 17.

Special Judge M. K. Nagpal approved Singh’s request to allow him to take the oath in judicial custody. Singh withdrew the plea seeking interim bail for the ongoing Parliament session and to take the oath, citing the need to appear before a court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on February 7.

The court, on December 19, took cognizance of the supplementary prosecution complaint against AAP MP Sanjay Singh and his associate Sarvesh Mishra. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a supplementary prosecution complaint on December 2, accusing Singh and Mishra in a money laundering case related to the Excise policy case. Sanjay Singh was arrested on October 4 by the Enforcement Directorate, which alleged his involvement in a conspiracy to collect kickbacks from liquor groups in the Delhi excise policy.

The Delhi liquor scam case, or the excise policy case, revolves around allegations that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 allowed cartelization, favoring certain dealers who allegedly paid bribes for it. The AAP has strongly refuted these charges. ED has conducted over 200 search operations in the case, and the CBI inquiry was recommended based on violations of various laws and rules, including the GNCTD Act 1991 and Delhi Excise Act-2009.