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Synopsis

A Delhi Court on Monday remanded Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh to Directorate of Enforcement (ED) custody further till Friday i.e. October 13, in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam. 

At the outset, Special Judge MK Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court directed Singh not to give an interview to the media while being produced and also asked the press not to ask him questions. 

The judge said, "Talking to the media while appearing in court creates a security problem".

ED had sought an extention of remand by 5 days. Singh was produced before the court today, on the expiry of his remand. 

Last week, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) NK Matta had submitted that there was a transaction of Rs. 200 crore, in two tranches and it had been delivered to Singh. The same was confirmed by Dinesh Arora (accused, who turned approver). He also submitted that searches were conducted yesterday and statements had also been recorded. "A total of 239 places were searched and documents have been found. We have to confront him with digital evidence", he had added.

Opposing the custody sought by ED, Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur, on behalf of Singh had contended, "These are those interesting cases where the investigation will go on and never end. Dinesh Arora's credibility is so incredible. He was accused in both the cases (CBI& ED) and later turned approver. My lords may ask them how many times he was summoned. The answer is Nil".

Mathur argued that the Supreme Court had said that ED Cannot have a person in custody and then have these Section 50 statements under PMLA. "For the first eight instances, you don't speak the truth and then, suddenly you start taking names. Only to secure my own liberty, I start taking names. Let's not make a mockery of the system", he had contended. 

"Regarding the MoU, the information was with them for nine and half months. This so-called unsigned MoU. At that point, the issue was keeping Mr. Sisodia inside so all these statements came in March and April. At that point, they didn't think it was necessary. Dinesh Arora was with them for four years", he had argued. 

The Senior Advocate had further argued, "Harsh Sahani's judgment still stands good, that for the purpose of confrontation, you don't need custody. The Prosecution should not just say that we want to confront him with 239 searches and digital evidence. 10 days is an absurd proposition for someone who was not involved at all. The case was about liquor policy, he had nothing to do with it". Mathur had added that if the arrest is not in conformity with the law, it becomes "illegal".

Singh was arrested on October 4 by the ED in the money laundering case. According to reports, Singh was taken into custody after day-long searches on his residence. This is the third high-profile arrest in the case. 

The AAP MP was arrested a day after, a Delhi Court allowed Raghav Magunta son of YSR Congress MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and businessman Dinesh Arora, both accused in the case to "turn approvers".

In the Prosecution complaint filed by the ED, Sanjay Singh's name appears in a statement by Arora. 

Arora and Magunta were arrested by the agency earlier this year and are out on bail. Besides the two, businessman and AAP's communication in-charge Vijay Nair was also arrested in September 2022, and former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was arrested in February, this year.