Delhi court allows AAP’s Sanjay Singh to take oath as Rajya Sabha MP on Feb 5

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday allowed jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh to take oath as the Rajya Sabha member at the parliament in policy custody. Special judge M K Nagpal directed the jail authorities to take Singh to the parliament on February 5 by 10am for him to take oath as a member of parliament.
Singh had approached the court on Thursday seeking interim bail for seven days to take oath on February 5 and also to attend the ongoing parliament session from February 5 to February 9.
However, advocate Rajat Bharadwaj, appearing for Singh, submitted that the prayer for interim bail is not being pressed as Singh has to go to Sultanpur for a hearing in another case filed against him on February 7, instead he may only be allowed to go to the parliament to take oath as member of Rajya Sabha on February 5.
Singh’s modified prayer was not opposed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court dismissed thus Singh’s interim bail application and allowed him to go and take oath on February 5.
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The court also directed that adequate security arrangements be made and Singh shall not be allowed to use mobile phones or talk with any accused, suspect, witness, or media persons. The court also allowed his family members and advocates to be present along with him.
Meanwhile, the court also extended his judicial custody till February 17.
Arrested by the ED, Singh has been in jail since October in connection with the alleged money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor excise policy.
He was earlier granted permission on January 4 to go to the returning officer and file his nomination for Rajya Sabha membership and also on January 10 to go to the returning officer to receive his membership certificate.
The court had earlier dismissed a regular bail application moved by Singh on December 22. His bail application is still pending before the Delhi high court, where orders have been reserved.
The ED is probing the alleged money laundering case into the now-scrapped Delhi liquor excise policy scam and has to date filed six charge sheets in the matter.
The case pertains to the Delhi government’s 2021-22 excise policy aimed to revitalise the city’s flagging liquor business. It aimed to replace a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee-based one for traders. The policy also introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor, a first for Delhi.
However, the policy ended abruptly after Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a probe into the alleged irregularities in its framing and implementation.