Sanjay Singh, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was granted permission by the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi on Tuesday to enter Parliament while under police custody and take an oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Singh is permitted by the court to visit Parliament on February 8 or 9. In granting Sanjay Singh’s application, Special Judge MK Nagpal said that on February 3, 2024, this court had ordered the jail officials to bring the accused to Rajya Sabha under judicial custody so that he could take an oath as a member.
However, it has been submitted that though he was taken to the Rajya Sabha the oath could not be administered to him due to certain reasons and hence he is directed to be taken again to the Rajya Sabha on February 8 and February 9, 2024, said the Court.
The court further directed that the applicant shall be taken to Rajyasabha from judicial custody and under appropriate security for administration of oath on either of the above dates on which he may be required to visit for the above purpose. In this regard, the Jail superintendent is being directed to communicate with the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
The Court has allowed Singh’s Lawyer to visit Tihar Jail to meet Sanjay Singh to take his signatures on relevant documents.
Singh was represented in the case by attorneys Rajat Bharadwaj and Mohd Irshad, while the Enforcement Directorate was represented by Special Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta. The attorneys representing Singh contended that in order for the applicant to be called for the administration of oath, a few documents must be signed by the accused and turned in to the relevant Rajya Sabha office. Only that office will then be able to determine the date of the hearing.
On February 5, 2024, Sanjay Singh was not sworn in as Rajya Sabha MP as Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar refused to allow him to take the oath and stated that proceedings of the Upper House are regulated by the listed business which is notified in the bulletin. Oath taking of Sanjay Singh wasn’t listed in the business of the House and no communication from Rajya Sabha on this matter ever came for consideration.
Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
