On 4th October, the Enforcement Directorate raided the Delhi house of Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. According to news agency ANI, the raids were conducted concerning the liquor scam case. Notably, ED raided Sanjay Singh’s house on the day the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear the bail plea of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
Times Now report suggested that the ED was conducting raids on multiple locations apart from Sanjay Singh’s residence. The ED team reached the house of the MP at around 7 AM. Notably, Sanjay Singh’s name had appeared multiple times in the charge sheet filed by the ED.
According to the charge sheet, Dinesh Arora, who has turned approver, had met Arvind Kejriwal in the presence of Singh. In a statement, Arora told ED he met Singh at an event and later came in touch with Sisodia. ED said, “He (Dinesh Arora) initially met Sanjay Singh through whom he came in contact with Manish Sisodia during a party at his own restaurant, namely Unplugged Courtyard. On request of Sanjay Singh, he spoke with many of the restaurant owners and arranged cheques amounting to Rs 32 lakh (handed over to Sisodia) for collection of party funds for upcoming elections in Delhi.” ED further noted that Singh helped Arora resolve one of the long-pending issues with the liquor department.
Speaking to the media, national spokesperson of AAP Reena Gupta targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the raids and claimed the raids were conducted as Singh raised questions over links between PM Modi and business tycoon Gautam Adani. She said, “Since Sanjay Singh was continuously raising questions on the issue of PM Modi and Adani, this is the reason why raids are being conducted at his residence. Nothing was found earlier, and nothing will be found today. Raids were conducted yesterday at the residence of some journalists, and today raids are conducted at the residence of Sanjay Singh…”
A day before raids on Sanjay Singh, it was reported that a Delhi court allowed the son of YSR Congress Party Lok Sabha MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy’s son and a Delhi-based businessman, Dinesh Arora, to become approvers in the ED case linked to an excise policy scam.
Arora had expressed his desire to turn approver in November 2022, which the court has finally approved. During the hearing, Arora sought pardon in the case and said he had made the confessional statement under Section 164 of the CrPC. Asked if there is any pressure from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Arora replied in the negative. “I am ready to give voluntary disclosure about my involvement in the alleged offences. I have earlier cooperated during the investigation of the case by the CBI. I am doing this without any pressure or undue influence upon me by the CBI or any other person,” said Arora.