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New Delhi: On Tuesday, The Supreme Court granted bail to AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in Delhi excise policy case. The apex court ruled that Singh would be released during the pendency of the trial.
The decision comes as a relief for Sanjay Singh, who was embroiled in the Delhi Excise Policy case. The court, however, said the “bail can’t be treated as precedent” as it heard the Rajya Sabha MP’s pleas seeking bail in the money laundering case, and also his arrest and subsequent ED remand.
Singh was arrested in the case by the Enforcement Directorate on October 4 last year. The probe agency noted that it did not object to granting bail to the AAP leader during the pendency of proceedings arising out of an investigation report under sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Dipankar Datta, and Prasanna B Varale ordered Singh’s release on bail while the trial continues. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing on behalf of the ED, told the court that he has an “arguable case, but we can give a concession”.
The decision provided relief to Singh, who was detained in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. The bail order came hours after the court sought a reply from the probe agency after hearing arguments by senior lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared on behalf of Sanjay Singh.
It noted that there were exculpatory statements by accused-turned-approver Dinesh Arora and no money had been recovered. This concession from the ED paved the way for the Supreme Court’s decision.
The Supreme Court, before the lunch break, had signalled its inclination to grant bail to Singh, citing the provisions of Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The bench observed that “nothing has been recovered, there is no trace” against Sanjay Singh in the money laundering case.
Additionally, the court noted that businessman Dinesh Arora, the accused-turned-approver, had not initially implicated Singh in his statements. Sanjay Singh’s bail order came a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was also arrested by the ED on Monday in connection to the same money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped liquor policy, was sent to 14-day custody until April 15 and is currently being held in Tihar Jail.
In February, the Delhi High Court had refused to grant bail to Sanjay Singh, observing that there were no grounds for bail at that stage.Despite previous bail rejections by lower courts, Singh’s appeal reached the Supreme Court, culminating in Tuesday’s bail grant.
