Judges Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti’s bench ordered them to respond by December 11.
The AAP MP for Rajya Sabha was taken into custody for the Delhi liquor policy scam case.
After the Delhi High Court refused to get involved in Singh’s arrest, Singh turned to the Supreme Court for help.
Why is this story important?
The claimed scam is being looked at independently by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They assert that the now-canceled 2021–22 excise policy benefited the AAP.
In November 2021, the Delhi government unveiled the policy.
Under it, the government stopped selling alcohol and only private businesses were allowed to own and operate liquor stores.
But, alleging anomalies, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena requested an inquiry into the scheme.
Thus far, Singh and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia have been detained, making them two of the top AAP leaders.
Delhi HC declines to get involved in Singh’s apprehension
On October 20, the Delhi High Court declined to get involved in Singh’s detention, saying it was impossible to accuse a top investigative body of having a political agenda in the absence of proof.
The AAP leader is alleged by the ED to have had a major role in developing and implementing the divisive alcohol policy.
The CBI and ED assert that certain holders of liquor trade licences enjoyed undue benefits and that there were anomalies in the modification of the now-defunct regulation.
Singh will be held by the ED until November 24.
Singh’s legal term was extended earlier this month by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court to Friday, November 24. On October 4, he was taken into custody due to suspected money laundering in the case.
After Sisodia, Singh is the second prominent AAP leader to be detained in connection with the suspected Delhi liquor policy scandal.
He has already filed an appeal seeking his release and asking the ED to provide the cause of his arrest.
Supposed plot targeting Kejriwal
On November 10, Singh further asserted that a “big conspiracy to trap” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was being hatched, subtly aimed at the central Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been charged with embezzling central agencies.
The AAP released a video on its website featuring Singh issuing a warning, saying, “Not just arrest, they are planning a big move against Kejriwal.”
Earlier, a number of prominent figures, including as Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, conjectured that Kejriwal’s apprehension in the matter was “imminent.”