NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would hear on March 19, the appeal filed by AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who had challenged an order of the Delhi High Court, dismissing his bail in a money laundering case in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy case.
The lawyer appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the SC that they would file their reply to Singh's plea. He said the reply was ready and would be filed.
The apex court had earlier on February 26 issued notice to the probe agency, ED and asked it to file its response on Singh's plea.
After hearing from ED's lawyer, a three-judge bench of the top court, headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, and also comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Prashant Kumar Mishra, posted the matter for further hearing to March 19, Tuesday.
Singh's another plea challenging his arrest and remand in the money-laundering case also would come up for hearing before the Bench. And both the pleas would now come up for hearing on March 19.
It is to be noted that the Delhi High Court had earlier in its order denied bail to Singh, after noting that prima facie, he seemed to be involved in offences, forcing him to knock the doors of the Apex Court for bail.
The accused, Singh was arrested by the ED on October 4, last year, after it conducted a search at his residence. He has been in judicial custody since October 13 and have never been granted bail by any court.
He, however, claimed innocence in the case.
The Delhi High Court on October 20 had also rejected Singh's 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 January, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Singh's bail plea, saying that the plea was “premature” and the ED investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Singh then moved the Supreme Court, which is now seized of the matter.
As per the probe agency, Singh has been part of the criminal conspiracy of allegedly collecting kickbacks from the liquor groups in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
The agency further said that Singh has close relationship with liquor businessman Dinesh Arora, a key witness who was earlier accused by the CBI and the ED and later turned approver in the case, since 2017 as revealed by the latter as well as from his call records.
Singh’s associates, Vivek Tyagi, Ajit Tyagi, and Sarvesh Mishra also had close relations with Dinesh Arora, the ED says.
Singh had allegedly received proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 2 crores in the ‘liquor scam ‘on two occasions, the ED stated.