Excise policy case: Delhi High Court seeks ED's response to bail plea by AAP MP Sanjay Singh

The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice the Enforcement Directorate on a plea by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh seeking bail in the wake of his arrest in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam case..Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said that the case will be heard next on January 29. .Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur appeared for Singh and told the Court that he has not been named in the predicate offence and was arrested following the tenth statement by a witness. .Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 4, 2023 after the agency conducted a search at his residence. He has been in judicial custody since October 13.The trial rejected his bail plea on December 22, 2023..The case against Singh involves allegations that he played a key role in framing and implementing the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, which was allegedly aimed at benefiting certain liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers.Sanjay Singh's arrest marked the third high-profile arrest of an AAP leader in the excise policy case.AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair was arrested in September 2022. Former Deputy Chief Minster of Delhi Manish Sisodia was arrested in February 2023. Both are still behind bars..Earlier, Singh had filed a plea challenging his arrest on the ground that it was an abuse of the legal process and in violation of the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Pankaj Bansal v. Union of India known as M3M Reality case.The High Court rejected that plea on October 20, 2023 and held that the ED is a premier investigating agency and imputing political motives to it may have an impact on the image of the country.Singh then moved the Supreme Court which is now seized of the matter.When the case came up for hearing before the top court on November 20, 2023, the Court gave him the liberty to approach the trial court for bail. After the trial rejected his bail plea, he filed the present plea before the High Court.