Excise policy: Delhi HC seeks ED stand on AAP leader Sanjay Singh’s plea against arrest in money laundering case

PTI, Oct 13, 2023, 5:20 PM IST

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the Enforcement Directorate’s stand on a plea by AAP leader Sanjay Singh against his arrest in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma asked the ED to file its response to the petition and listed the matter for hearing on Tuesday morning. The counsel appearing for the Rajya Sabha MP said due procedure was not followed when he was arrested by the investigating agency without any prior summons or notice in the case. ”I am on procedure,” he said. The ED’s lawyer asked the court to grant him time to file a response to the petition. “Today judicial custody is granted…I am entitled to put in a reply. Give me two days,” he said. A trial court today remanded Singh, arrested on October 4, in judicial custody till October 27. Singh’s petition was listed for hearing after it was mentioned for urgent listing by his lawyer before the high court bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma earlier today. The ED’s money laundering case stems from the CBI FIR.

According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and undue favours were extended to licence holders.

The Delhi government had implemented the excise policy on November 17, 2021 but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.