Supreme Court requests ED's answer about Sanjay Singh's appeal against his detention and arrest in the Delhi Excise Policy scandal

Sanjay Singh and Supreme Court

In response to a plea filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh contesting his arrest and remand by the ED in the money-laundering case about the Delhi Excise Policy scam [Sanjay Singh vs Union of India and anr], the Supreme Court on Monday requested the Central government's and the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) response.

Singh has not submitted a bail request in this case, according to a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti.

"Why do you avoid doing that? Notice will be given, but you must file (standard bail plea). "I don't believe that requesting bail will prevent you from coming here for additional relief," Justice Khanna said.

The Court further stated that the Central government and the ED must file their responses to the petition by the week that starts on December 11.

Singh was also allowed by the judge to apply for bail before the relevant jurisdictional court.

Singh's plea contesting his arrest was denied by the Delhi High Court in October.

As per the High Court's statement, attributing political motivations to the ED might potentially affect the nation's reputation.

The ED searched Singh's home on October 4 and then took him into custody.

The accusations made against Singh centre on his alleged involvement in the formulation and execution of the now-cancelled Delhi Excise Policy, which was purportedly designed to favour specific spirits producers, distributors, and retailers.

He was first placed under ED custody on October 5 and kept there until October 10, which was then extended until October 13.

He was placed in judicial prison for a period of 14 days on October 13. Singh subsequently filed a motion with the High Court, claiming that the arrest was an improper use of the judicial system.

Due to the plea's rejection, the Supreme Court is currently considering this appeal.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi defended Singh before the Supreme Court today.

With Singh's arrest, the AAP leader in the excise policy matter has been arrested three times in a high-profile manner.

In-charge of AAP communications While Manish Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi, was arrested in February 2023, Vijay Nair was taken into custody in September 2022.