Delhi Excise 'Scam': AAP Leader Sanjay Singh Urges Court For Bail

Singh's counsel made the submission before Special Judge M K Nagpal during the hearing of his bail application.

The court, meanwhile, allowed an application filed by Singh seeking its permission to put his signature on certain documents authorising his lawyer to represent him in a defamation case in Guwahati.

During the hearing on the bail application, senior advocate Mohit Mathur, appearing for Singh, said, "I am not a flight risk, have roots in society, and for 15 months there was no allegation of my interfering or influencing in the probe by either ED or the CBI."

The counsel said since the supplementary complaint (ED’s equivalent of a charge sheet) 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 charge-sheeted in the predicate offence (the alleged corruption in the excise scam) being probed by the CBI.

“I am not even summoned by the CBI in the corruption case,” the counsel said.

The counsel said in all the supplementary charge sheets filed by the ED before Singh’s arrest, his name did not appear anywhere.

“In all the supplementary charge sheets filed by the agency before my arrest, there was not even a whisper against me, which means there was no evidence with the ED which prompted my arrest. 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 Rajya Sabha MP's counsel said.

The court will now hear the matter on December 9, when the ED is likely to advance its arguments on the application.

The application, filed by Singh on November 24, says he is no longer required for custodial interrogation and that no purpose will be served by keeping him in custody.

It claimed the investigation against Singh was complete and there was no chance of tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.

Singh, who is currently in judicial custody, also said in the application he was ready to abide by any condition imposed by the court while granting him bail.

The anti-money laundering agency had arrested Singh on October 4. The ED has alleged that Singh played a key role in the formulation and implementation of the now scrapped excise policy, which benefited certain liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, for monetary considerations.

The senior AAP leader has refuted the allegations.

-With PTI Input