No intention to shift Sanjay Singh from ED lockup, agency tells Delhi court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday told a court in Delhi that it has no intention to shift Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy, out of the probe agency's lockup.

The submission was made in response to Singh's allegation that false grounds were being created to shift him to a police lockup without CCTV to torture him.

The central probe agency submitted before special judge Vikas Dhull that it had proposed to shift Singh to the Tughlak Road police station lockup owing to pest control work in the ED office lockup, but it was no longer needed as the process has been completed.

The judge, after noting the submission of the ED, disposed of Singh's application as "infructuous".

"In light of submissions made by Special Counsel for ED, the application filed by applicant/ accused has become infructuous and stands disposed of accordingly," the court said.

The application had alleged that ED officials tried to shift Singh from the ED premises to Tughlak Road police station on purported grounds where he could be tortured. Singh, through his lawyers, had raised the issue of his safety and security.

The AAP leader was arrested by the ED on Wednesday 4 October in connection with its money laundering probe linked to the 2021-22 Delhi excise policy case, and was the second high profile leader after former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to be held in this case.

On 5 October, a Delhi court sent Singh to five-day custody of the ED even as the anti-money laundering agency alleged that accused businessman Dinesh Arora had handed over Rs 2 crore in cash at the Rajya Sabha MP's residence in two tranches. Singh has strongly rebutted the claim.