Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Stops AAP's Sanjay Singh From Taking Oath As MP

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday refused to allow Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh to take the oath as a Rajya Sabha member. According to the reports, Dhankhar did not allow Singh to take part in the swearing-in ceremony as a matter of breach of privilege against him is pending with Rajya Sabha's privileges committee.

Sanjay Singh, who has been behind bars for the last 6 months in relation to a money laundering case in Delhi excise policy which now stands scrapped, was renominated by the AAP for another term in Rajya Sabha and was allowed by the court to take oath. However, the Rajya Sabha chairman stopped him at the last minute from swearing-in.

Along with Sanjay Singh, the Delhi-ruling party also nominated former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal, and chartered accountant Narain Das Gupta for the Rajya Sabha.

On February 1, Sanjay Singh filed a request in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court to seek temporary bail for seven days to be able to take the oath as a Rajya Sabha MP and participate in the ongoing Parliament session from February 5 to February 9. Subsequently, he amended his application, seeking permission solely to go to Parliament for the oath-taking ceremony.

The Delhi court, in its decision to extend his judicial custody until February 17, granted Sanjay Singh the opportunity to attend Parliament under police custody and take the oath as a Rajya Sabha MP on February 5.