AAP MP Sanjay Singh Moves Delhi High Court Challenging Arrest In Liquor Policy Case

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has also challenged the ED remand granted to him by the trial court.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Friday moved the Delhi High Court challenging his arrest in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the now scrapped Delhi liquor policy, ANI reported. Singh has also challenged the remand granted to him by the trial court. The Delhi HC will hear the matter today.

The matter will be heard by a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula, Bar and Bench reported. Singh's counsel said the AAP leader was not served the grounds of his arrest properly.

Earlier this week, a special court extended till October 13 the ED custody of Sanjay Singh. Singh was arrested on October 4 after searches at his official residence at North Avenue.

Sanjay Singh has become the third leader of the AAP to be arrested by a central agency in the past 17 months after former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain.

AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair was also arrested in September 2022 in the liquor policy case. In April, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also questioned for nearly nine hours by the CBI. 

During hearing of remand application, special public prosecutor NK Matta, appearing for the ED, said Rs 2 crore was paid in cash to Singh. The ED alleged that an employee of Dinesh Arora, an accused in the case who later turned approver, allegedly delivered Rs 2 crore to Singh's house on two occasions. 

According to the ED, the senior AAP leader played a key role in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy that was aimed at benefiting certain liquor manufacturers and wholesalers. 

Leading a fierce attack on the BJP government over the arrest of Singh, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal called the liquor policy case "completely false" and said the investigative agencies don't have even an iota of evidence and everything was baseless. "They probed us so much, did anything come out? Not even a penny was exchanged," Kejriwal told reporters.

The ED and CBI registered cases in connection with the liquor policy after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a probe based on a report by the Delhi chief secretary. While CBI is probing the corruption angle, ED is looking into the money laundering aspect.