Court Directs Tihar Officials To Take Sanjay Singh To Parl On Mar 19 For Oath As RS MP

A Delhi court has directed Tihar Jail officials to take Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, who is arrested in the excise scam case, to Parliament on Tuesday to enable him to take oath as a Rajya Sabha member.

Special Judge M K Nagpal directed the jail superintendent to ensure adequate security during Singh's movement.

"The Jail Superintendent concerned is directed to ensure that accused is taken to Parliament on 19.03.2024 under adequate security for the purpose of making and subscribing of oath as a Member and after the oath, he is also brought back to the jail safely," the judge said.

In an order passed on March 16, the judge said that during the visit Singh will not be permitted to use mobile phone or talk with any other accused, suspect or witness in this case, or in the connected case of the CBI.

He shall also not be permitted to address the press or hold any public meeting, judge Nagpal said. 

However, he may be permitted to meet his counsel as well as his family members during the visit, the judge said.

He passed the order while granting Singh exemption from personal appearance before the court on March 19, when the case is listed for further hearing.

Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case and is presently in judicial custody.

The ED started its investigation based on a CBI case. The ED is probing the money laundering part of the alleged scam.

It is alleged in the CBI case that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy to extend undue favours to licence-holders; licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence (granted for the wholesale supply of Indian liquor) was extended without the competent authority's approval.

The beneficiaries allegedly diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.