Rajya Sabha chairman blocks AAP leader's oath, cites privileges case
Jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh was not sworn in as Rajya Sabha MP on Monday as the Upper House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar refused to allow him to take the oath, citing the privileges case against him. The AAP leader was suspended from Rajya Sabha in July 2023 for violating the Chair's directives. Singh, arrested in a graft case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy, was renominated by the AAP for another Rajya Sabha term in January.
Delhi court allowed Singh to take oath in judicial custody
On Saturday, Delhi's Rouse Avenue court allowed the 51-year-old leader to take oath as an MP under police custody. The order was issued two days after Singh moved the court seeking interim bail for seven days to take oath as Rajya Sabha MP and to attend the ongoing Parliament session from Monday to Friday. He later modified his application and asked permission to go to the Parliament to only take the oath.
Allegations against Singh in Delhi Excise Policy case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the AAP leader on October 4 last year, accusing him of being involved in a scheme to collect kickbacks from liquor groups under the excise policy for 2021-22. Singh allegedly had close ties with Dinesh Arora, who is now an approver and introduced accused Amit Arora to him. The ED claims that call records analysis shows Arora regularly contacted Singh, who allegedly received crime proceeds worth Rs. 2 crore. The AAP has rejected the claims.
What is the Delhi liquor policy case
The Delhi liquor policy case revolves around claims that the Arvind Kejriwal-led government's excise policy for 2021-22 enabled cartelization and favored specific dealers who allegedly paid bribes for it. In 2023, the ED filed its first chargesheet in the case after conducting over 200 search operations and taking cognizance of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case registered on the recommendation of the Delhi lieutenant governor.
