The Rouse Avenue court, on Saturday, reserved its order on the bail plea of Sarvesh Mishra, one of the accused in the Delhi Excise policy money laundering case along with AAP MP Sanjay Singh. The court, after hearing arguments from Mishra’s counsel and with no opposition from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), will deliver its decision on January 24.
Sarvesh Mishra, who was not arrested during the investigation, has been on interim bail. The court extended the judicial custody of AAP MP Sanjay Singh and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia until February 3, 2024. The order on the bail plea of another accused, Amit Arora, has also been reserved for January 24.
In earlier proceedings, the court granted interim bail to Sarvesh Mishra until the disposal of his regular bail application. The defense argued that the stringent provisions of section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) do not apply in Mishra’s case as he was not arrested during the investigation.
The Delhi liquor scam case revolves around allegations of kickbacks from liquor groups in the Delhi Excise policy 2021-22. Sanjay Singh, accused of conspiracy, was arrested by the ED in October. The agency filed a supplementary prosecution complaint against Singh and Sarvesh Mishra, alleging their involvement in the money laundering aspect of the case.
The ED contends that Singh and his associates played a role in the Delhi government’s decision to grant licenses to alcohol shops and merchants in 2020, causing financial losses to the state exchequer and violating anti-corruption laws. The case has seen multiple searches and the filing of several chargesheets, with the AAP refuting the allegations, claiming the excise policy was fair and transparent.