Will file criminal defamation case against ED officials: AAP MP Sanjay Singh

New Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday said he will file a criminal defamation case against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials for "falsely" naming him in their excise policy case chargesheet.

Addressing a press conference here, Singh alleged that the ED is "involved in making false cases without any facts or evidence".

Responding to the Singh's allegations, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said it seems that the fear of arrest is haunting the AAP MP with each passing day.

The AAP leader also invited those who have been victimised by the agency to come forward and inform him.

“As the Privileges Committee of Parliament has asked me to expose how the ED is fabricating false cases, I will bring your case and information before the Privileges Committee. It's time to hold the ED accountable for their abuse of power and false accusations,” he added.

Singh accused ED of targeting him after he raised his voice against the agency's actions in the Parliament. He said he had given a speech on ED-CBI in the Parliament on December 12 last year, and his name appeared in ED's chargesheet on January 6 this year.

"I will file a criminal defamation case against ED director S K Mishra, officer Bhanu Priya who signed the chargesheet, and IO Joginder Singh," he said.

The AAP leader also alleged that he had sought an appointment with ED 11 times to give information on the Adani issue. However, the facts and documents were received by the ED after two months.

Reading out the contents of the chargesheet, Singh said it claimed that on October 1, 2022, Dinesh Arora had told the ED that the transfer of a liquor shop of Amit Arora was done by Manish Sisodia on the direction of Sanjay Singh.

Singh alleged that the "ED created a false chargesheet by creating a fake case, simply because he was speaking out against Modi-Adani corruption".

Singh presented Arora's statement, which ED had recorded on October 1, 2022 which mentions that Excise Commissioner Rahul Singh transferred Amit Arora's shop in a routine manner. There was no mention of Sanjay Singh's name even remotely in Arora's statement recorded by the ED, he claimed.

Singh also presented Dinesh Arora's statement to the court under section 164, which states that when Amit Arora insisted that Dinesh Arora bring up the matter of his shop’s transfer, neither did Dinesh Arora talk to the then Deputy CM nor to Sanjay Singh.

“The ED's attempt to implicate me in a fabricated case is nothing but a political move to suppress my voice against the Adani row. It is evident that the ED is creating a false case to fulfil its own agenda. I won't be silenced by their baseless accusations and intimidation tactics," he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said it seems that the fear of arrest is haunting MP Sanjay Singh with each passing day as he is realising that summons of ED may strike his door any day now.

Sachdeva claimed that Singh was speaking in favour of liquor baron Dinesh Arora because he knows that Arora's evidence will not only nail Manish Sisodia but also him (Singh) and sooner or later Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too.