The Supreme Court granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh on Tuesday, raising questions for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding his prolonged detention without trial or recovery of alleged bribe money. The ED, after being asked about the necessity of Mr. Singh’s custody, eventually chose not to contest his bail plea. This decision followed the court’s observation that Mr. Singh’s release would be under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), indicating a prima facie belief in his innocence and compliance with the law while on bail.
The court noted the absence of any recovery or trace of the alleged ₹100 crore bribe money received by the AAP. Additionally, it referred to previous instances, including the case of Manish Sisodia, where arrests were made before the completion of investigations, questioning the procedural fairness.
Regarding Dinesh Arora, an accused turned approver, the court observed that his initial statements did not implicate Mr. Singh. Mr. Arora himself was released on bail under Section 45 after becoming an approver.
Sanjay Singh had been in Tihar Jail since his arrest in October last year in connection with the alleged liquor excise policy scam. Despite earlier bail pleas being rejected, the Supreme Court’s bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Dipankar Datta, and Prasanna B Varale, finally granted him bail during the trial’s pendency.
While the terms and conditions of his release are to be determined by the trial court, Mr. Singh is permitted to engage in political activities, including campaigning for the AAP. However, he has been cautioned against commenting on the ED’s investigation.
His release has been welcomed by his colleague and Delhi PWD Minister Atishi, who emphasized the pursuit of truth. Atishi, along with other AAP leaders, has been vocal in protesting the innocence of the party members targeted by central agencies. They allege political motivations behind such actions, particularly in the lead-up to elections, a claim consistently denied by the BJP.
