Delhi excise policy scam | Court to decide on Sanjay Singh’s bail plea on December 21

Delhi court reserves order on AAP leader Sanjay Singh's bail application in money-laundering case till Dec 21. ED claims probe still under way, Singh's counsel argues contradictions in statements of accused-turned-approver.

A Delhi court on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, reserved its order till December 21 on the bail application of AAP leader Sanjay Singh in a money-laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

Special Judge M.K. Nagpal reserved his order after hearing the arguments put forth by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the counsel for Mr. Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP.

During the arguments on Tuesday, senior advocate Mohit Mathur, appearing for Mr. Singh, told the judge that the ED had not called the accused for questioning even once before October 4, the date he was arrested.

The counsel added that there were contradictions in the statements of accused-turned-approver Dinesh Arora and other witnesses. “Dinesh Arora’s statement is hearsay... How can one assume that he is telling the truth,” Mr. Singh’s counsel said, terming Mr. Arora a “tainted” witness and a “guilty accomplice”.

The counsel said Mr. Singh is “not asking for discharge”, but for his bail as personal liberty is “sacrosanct in the Constitution”. The ED, opposing the bail application, claimed that the probe into the case is still under way, and if released on bail, the AAP MP could hamper the investigation, tamper with evidence, and influence witnesses.