Rajya Sabha MP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday. AAP MP Singh joins his party colleagues – former deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, and former health minister in Delhi cabinet Satyendar Jain.
The 51-year-old leader becomes the second high-profile AAP leader to be arrested in this case after former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
AAP had issued a statement after MP Singh's arrest, claiming, “Sanjay Singh speaks for people, his arrest after Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain shows BJP's frustration as it is losing to INDIA bloc”.
The Delhi Excise Policy, in which MP Singh was arrested, was formed on the basis of an expert committee report and was implemented by the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi from November 17, 2021. Under the new policy, 849 liquor vends were awarded to private companies through open bidding. The city was divided into 32 zones, each with a maximum of 27 vends. Instead of individual licenses, bidding was done zone-by-zone.
The new policy marked the exit of the city government from the liquor business.
However, the policy was rolled back in 2022. On the basis of the Delhi Chief Secretary’s report, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a probe into the controversial Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government.
The Delhi LG VK recommended the CBI probe on July 22, 2022, into the alleged rule violations and procedural flaws in the implementation of the excise policy.
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The Enforcement Directorate arrested former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in February this year, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following his second round of questioning at Tihar jail.
Earlier the he had been arrested by the CBI on February 26 after extensive questioning
AAP's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged corruption in 2021-22 Delhi Excise policy, the second high-profile leader nabbed in this case.
Early this morning, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials swooped on his official residence in North Avenue and conducting searches. After day-long questioning, Singh was placed under arrest under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Delhi's former health minister Satyeandar Jain was arrested on May 30 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate. He was arrested on the charge of laundering money through four companies allegedly linked to him.
The anti-money laundering agency had arrested Jain on the basis of a CBI FIR registered against Satyendar Jain in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He was granted regular bail by the trial court on September 6, 2019 in the case registered by the CBI.
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