Delhi Excise Scam: Court Extends AAP MP Sanjay Singh ED Custody till Oct 13

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday extended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh until October 13 in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.

Sanjay Singh, a senior AAP leader, was produced in the court as his initial five-day ED custody came to an end. The ED had requested an additional five days of custody, citing Singh’s lack of cooperation and his failure to disclose information about his old phone. The agency also mentioned that his close associate, Sarvesh Mishra, was not cooperating.

The ED informed the court that the evidence collected suggests that a bribe was demanded to facilitate the clearance of liquor licenses.

Sanjay Singh was arrested on October 4, following a day-long interrogation by ED officials at his Delhi residence. Subsequently, on October 5, the court remanded him in custody until October 10, 2023, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Allegedly, Sanjay Singh’s party colleague and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also implicated in the same liquor policy scandal and is currently in jail in connection with the case. Sisodia, the former Delhi Deputy CM and excise minister, was initially arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged involvement in the scam.

The case revolves around allegations that Singh and his associates played a role in the Delhi government’s decision to grant licenses to liquor shops and vendors in 2020, resulting in financial losses to the state exchequer and violations of anti-corruption laws.

The ED has filed five charge sheets in the case so far, including one against Manish Sisodia.