Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh was sent to judicial custody for 14 days in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy case by a court here on Friday. The AAP leader had been in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) since his arrest on October 4.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Singh moved the Delhi High Court challenging his arrest by the probe agency. His counsel said the AAP leader was not called for any inquiry before the ED raided his house on October 4 and that no notice was issued to Mr. Singh before his “abrupt arrest”.
The court has sought the ED’s response and posted the case for further hearing on October 17.
The probe agency has alleged that Mr. Singh played a key role in the now-scrapped excise policy. The case alleges deliberate irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy and undue favours extended to licencees.
The ED has quantified the alleged “proceeds of crime” in the case to be at least ₹1,934 crore.
Mr. Singh, considered close to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is the third senior AAP leader to be arrested over the last year and a half. Former PWD Minister Satyendar Jain was arrested by the ED on May 30 last year in an alleged money laundering case. Former Deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia was arrested in February 2023 in connection with the excise police case.
Meanwhile, AAP members held a protest near the BJP headquarters on Friday. Party general secretary Sandeep Pathak accused the BJP-ruled Centre of trying to undermine the Constitution and filing “fake cases” against AAP leaders.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the denial of bail to Mr. Singh showed the strength of the case against him.
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