In the liquor policy case…
On Tuesday, 02 April 2024, the Supreme Court granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh.
It posed some searching questions for the arresting agency - the ED including asking why he had been jailed for over six months without a trial or recovery of alleged bribe money.
The probe agency asked about a genuine need for further custody of Mr. Singh - eventually declined to contest the opposition leader's bail plea; appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said "Without going into merits, I will concede the bail matter."
The Rajya Sabha MP has been in Delhi's Tihar Jail since October 2023 in the alleged liquor excise policy scam, which has roiled the opposition party - and seen the arrests of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy, Manish Sisodia just a few weeks before a general election.
Mr. Singh was arrested on money laundering charges linked to the alleged scam.
He was sworn in as a Member of Parliament last month, while still in prison.
The AAP leader has seen earlier bail pleas - filed before lower courts, including the Delhi High Court - turned down; in February the High Court said "no ground" for relief had been made; but directed the trial court to "expedite the trial in the present case once it commences".
That relief was finally granted, after a bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Dipankar Datta, and Justice Prasanna B Varale said Mr. Singh could be released during the pendency of the trial.
Edited By: Arusha Farooq
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