Delhi Excise Policy Case: SC Grants Bail To Sanjay Singh; AAP, BJP In War Of Words

Delhi Minister Atishi earlier today claimed that the BJP wants to ''target the next line of AAP leadership.''

Atishi on March 23 claimed that a money trail was discovered in the BJP's account.

NEW DELHI:  In a big boost to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha polls, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the authorities to release the party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on bail during the pendency of trial in a money laundering case relating to excise policy irregularities matter. The bail was granted to Sanjay Singh six months after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). During Singh's bail hearing, the central agency said it had no objection to his release.

A bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said that Singh has been in ED custody for six months and no money has been recovered so far, there is no trace. "You argue on merits, if we feel instructions are required, we will list on Tuesday," the bench said. The court also allowed Singh to take part in political activities. The court, however, added that the concession granted to Singh cannot be treated as a precedent for others.

Singh was arrested on October 4, 2023, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. He was the third AAP leader to be arrested in the case, following former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and the party’s communications in-charge Vijay Nair. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, too, is lodged in the Tihar jail in connection with the case after a court sent him to judicial custody till April 15, following his arrest by the ED on March 21.

Reacting to the development, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha took to X and said, “Today is a very emotional day for every Aam Aadmi Party worker. There is happiness today with the release of our lion Sanjay Singh which cannot be expressed in words. Jai Bajrang Bali!” AAP MP Swati Maliwal also posted on X, “Lions cannot be kept in captivity for long! Long Live Sanjay Singh.”

Shortly after AAP MP Sanjay Singh was granted bail by the Supreme Court, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that “it is a routine bail” and that “there is no complete clean chit as of now”.  Poonawalla added that the bail was granted when the Enforcement Directorate did not oppose. 

AAP MLAs Meet Sunita Kejriwal

As many as 55 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs met the Delhi Chief Minister’s wife Sunita Kejriwal at his residence on Tuesday and told her that “under no circumstances should the CM resign”. They said that the “government can run from jail.” Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told the media that approximately two dozen MLAs kept their perspective in front of the Delhi Chief Minister's wife on running the government in the national capital. The MLAs told Sunita Kejriwal that “a campaign will be started by the Opposition in which they will demand his resignation”. Bharadwaj added that the MLAs asked Sunita to inform the chief minister that “All the MLAs stand by him and he will continue to remain the chief minister. On her turn, Sunita Kejriwal passed on the Delhi CM’s message to the MLAs and said, “He is proud of the success of the rally at the Ramlila Maidan and he is more stronger now”.

BJP Hits Out At Atishi, Demands Proof 

BJP on Tuesday hit back at Delhi Minister Atishi shortly after she alleged that she was approached by the saffron party to join them or else she'd be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the coming days. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, “People of Delhi are understanding it very well, there is a saying in English that thieves have been exposed. Their CM Arvind Kejriwal said Vijay Nair used to report to Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj. Nair who is a key factor in the liquor scam used to report to them.” “If the kingpin of this entire scam is saying that these people are involved, they should be interrogated…BJP has zero tolerance against corruption. PM Narendra Modi, BJP’s stand is to remove corruption…” he added.

His party colleague and senior advocate Nalin Kohli also took a swipe at AAP leader Atishi and said, “…Atishi must be worried that the Aam Aadmi Party supreme leader Arvind Kejriwal seems to have taken her name and Saurabh Bharadwaj’s name saying the middlemen used to meet them. If that is the case, their own leader is pointing a finger towards them. You just can’t turn around and attack the BJP on some false allegation or false narrative in the hope that the questions that are being asked will not be asked,” he added.”

Excise Policy Case LIVE | AAP MLAs To Meet Delhi CM's Wife

Amid fast-paced developments in Delhi, all Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs will arrive at the residence of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal shortly and meet his wife Sunita Kejriwal.

LIVE | BJP Is Scared After Ramlila Maidan Rally: Saurabh Bharadwaj 

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "...What was seen at Ramlila Maidan on 31st March, shocked the BJP. The biggest leaders of India's opposition parties gathered on that stage...All the senior leaders of our party are in jail - Atishi, Durgesh Pathak, Sandeep Pathak and I are the younger lot. We called up these leaders and requested them to come, that our senior leaders are in jail and we are doing a 'maharally' in Delhi...All the leaders said that they would definitely be there and they did...BJP says that they did everything to us that they had to do. They executed their plan and arrested all our big leaders but the party is still standing...BJP knows that the people won't be scared to cast their votes. Today, the people of the country are scared and it is a matter of grave concern for the country. People used to be scared during British rule...The British scared us with the threat of jail and ruled us. Today, the BJP government at the centre has become almost like that..."

More AAP Leaders Will Be Arrested, Claims Atishi

Amid political bickering over the excise policy case, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi on Tuesday claimed that the ruling BJP at the Centre approached her with an offer to join the saffron party and warned that she would be arrested if she failed to do so. "BJP through one of my close aides approached me to join their party to save my political career and If I do not join the BJP then in the coming one month I will be arrested by ED," Delhi Minister Atishi said in a press conference. 

Atishi revealed that the BJP will now target the next line of AAP leaders and will arrest her, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha. The AAP leader further claimed that the BJP also threatened that her house would be raided by the central agencies and more AAP leaders would be arrested. "In the coming two months before the Lok Sabha elections, they will arrest 4 more AAP leaders - Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha...," Atish said during her press conference. 

#WATCH | Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi says, "In the coming two months before the Lok Sabha elections, they will arrest 4 more AAP leaders - Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha..." pic.twitter.com/AZdfOrQG7S — ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2024

“I have been told that soon there will be ED raids at our residence and then we will be taken into custody. The BJP is now targeting the next line of the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party,” Atishi said. Atishi went on to say that the BJP expected the AAP to crumble after Arvind Kejriwal's arrest but they got scared seeing the opposition parties coming together in the Ramlila Maidan on Sunday. "so now they want to target the next line of leadership.'' 

"I want to tell the BJP that we will not be scared of you. We are the soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal. We are aides of Bhagat Singh. We will continue to save the Constitution and will work to give the people a better life under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal," she said.

The Rouse Avenue Court sent the AAP supremo to judicial custody till April 15 in an alleged money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy case yesterday. Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate about the excise policy case. However, the AAP leaders sharpened their attacks soon after. In a post on X, Atishi said, "I will be doing an explosive expose at 10 am tomorrow."