Excise policy case: Sanjay Singh urges court for bail, says deep roots in society

New Delhi: While a Delhi court on Wednesday heard AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh's bail application in connection with a money laundering case connected to the now-scrapped excise policy, he claimed that he was not a flight risk and there was no allegation against him of influencing the witnesses.

He urged Special Judge MK Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court, who had asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a reply by Wednesday on Singh’s application, that he should be granted bail since he has deep roots in society and that “for 15 months there was no allegation of my interfering or influencing in the probe by either the ED or the CBI.”

Notably, on Monday, the court extended Singh's judicial custody by seven days. Senior advocate Mohit Mathur appearing for Singh said that since the supplementary complaint against Singh has already been filed, there was some kind of finality regarding the collection of evidence which should be the basis for granting him bail.

The counsel said Singh was neither an accused, was never arrested, or chargesheeted in the predicate offence (the alleged corruption in the excise scam) being probed by the CBI, and that he was not even summoned by the CBI in the corruption case.

His name did not appear in any of the supplementary charge sheets filed by the ED before his arrest, Mathur further claimed.

“Now they are saying I received kickbacks, but ED did not say a single word about this money before this court or superior courts in matters pertaining to co-accused Manish Sisodia, when they produced flow-chart of money allegedly being laundered," the counsel said.

Singh had moved an application seeking permission to put his signature on certain documents authorising his lawyer to represent him in a defamation case in Guwahati, which was also allowed by the court.

Now, the matter will be heard on December 9.

Earlier, the judge had allowed Singh to sign some documents related to development work as an MP. The judge had directed the authorities concerned to produce him before a court in Punjab after it was informed that a production warrant had been received from a court in Amritsar in a defamation case there.

Judge Nagpal had also allowed Singh to sign certain cheques as he requested to do so for his family expenses, and other work he is obliged to do as an MP.

The concerned jail authorities were directed to ensure proper treatment to Singh, including from his private doctor.

"Court sees no reason to refuse private treatment to the accused. Hence, the jail superintendent concerned is directed to ensure the appropriate treatment," the judge had said.

Singh, who had moved the Delhi High Court against his arrest and remand, was denied any relief as Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma dismissed his plea calling it premature.

He then moved the Supreme Court against the High Court order that upheld his arrest and remand by the ED.

On October 13, Singh had told Judge Nagpal that the ED has become an 'entertainment department'. The judge had directed him not to discuss unrelated matters or give speeches inside the court, or he will ask for his production through video conferencing from now on.

The financial probe agency on October 4 arrested Singh after carrying out searches at his residence in the North Avenue area.