NEW DELHI: Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday allowed five-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody of Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, who was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering probe allegedly linked to the now-scrapped excise policy corruption case.
Special Court judge MK Nagpal granted the ED remand till October 10 (Monday) though the probe agency sought a ten-day remand of the AAP leader, saying he needs to be interrogated with the digital evidence in relation to the case.
The ED informed the court that Singh's phone was seized and he needs to be confronted with other individuals in the case.
Singh's counsel senior advocate Mohit Mathur, during the course of the hearing, said, "This case investigation keeps going and will never end," while pointing to liquor businessman Dinesh Arora, a star witness who was made an accused earlier by the CBI and ED and later turned approver in the case.
"Look into the changing statements of Dinesh Arora and Amit Arora...Suddenly you start taking names," he said.
As per the remand note seen by TNIE, Singh has been a part of the conspiracy of collecting kickbacks from liquor groups in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
It further says that Singh has a close relationship with Arora 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 have a close relationship with Arora, the document says. Singh has received proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 2 crore in the Delhi liquor scam on two occasions, the remand note stated.
On one occasion, as per ED investigation, Arora had collected Rs 3 crore bribe from another liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru from August-October 2021, on the directions of AAP communication overseer Vijay Nair, said the note. Out of this amount, Rs 1 crore was given to Sarvesh Mishra (Sanjay Singh's person) on the direction of Nair. This amount was delivered to Singh's house by an employee of Dinesh Arora, it was noted.
During the hearing, opposing the ED's application for 10 days' custody, Singh's counsel argued that the demand was an absurd position for someone who is not involved in the matter at all.
On the other hand, the ED's special counsel Zoheb Hossain said the agency has all the call recording details and other records related to the accused.
While he was taken to the courtroom, Singh said his arrest was “an act of injustice” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose party was “going to lose the next Lok Sabha elections”.
Later, when the court asked him whether he wanted to say something, Singh claimed he was being treated unfairly. He claimed that he was never summoned or called in regard to the case, asking why there is a (alag kanoon) separate law for him.
Sanjay Singh, who was arrested on Wednesday, was questioned for hours before being taken into custody. Singh is considered to be the second-most powerful politician in the AAP after party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He is the third AAP leader to be arrested by a central agency.