Watch AAP Leader Sanjay Singh Arrested By ED; Seeks Mother's Blessings Prior: Videos

A day of searches at his official residence concluded with the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh. The Enforcement Directorate apprehended him in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Sanjay Singh was taken into custody at his residence on North Avenue. Outside his home, he displayed a poster that read, "Phakkad house main ED ka swagat hai (ED is welcome at this penniless house)."

AAP released a video showing Singh seeking blessings from his mother before being taken away by ED officials. In the video, he reassured her, saying, "Don't worry, stay strong."

The party also released a video recorded by Singh before his arrest. In it, he stated, "I have consistently been raising my voice against the corruption of the Narendra Modi government and Adani's mega scam... there was no action on such complaints, but today the ED suddenly turned up at my door, conducting its investigation for hours. They found nothing, but despite this, I am being forcibly placed under arrest. But we are all soldiers of the Aam Aadmi Party and we want to tell Modi ji that you are losing the elections and that too spectacularly. This signals your disappointment, your defeat."

ANI has also released earlier visuals of AAP MP Sanjay Singh being brought out of his residence after being arrested. The Rajya Sabha MP could be seen waving at the crowd which had gathered in large numbers outside Singh's residence to support him.

SANJAY SINGH'S ARREST IS THIRD IN THIS CASE: Notably, this marks the third high-profile arrest in this case. Previously, the party's communication in-charge, Vijay Nair, was arrested in September of the previous year, and Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, met the same fate in February of this year. Both individuals remain in detention.

The ED's action against Sanjay Singh, who has emerged as a prominent voice for AAP in the Rajya Sabha, alongside Punjab MP Raghav Chadha, drew a strong response from Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. He decried the arrest as "completely illegal" and suggested that it reflected "Modi ji's nervousness." Kejriwal also expressed concern that more opposition leaders might face arrest in the lead-up to elections.

WHAT IS THE DELHI LIQUOR POLICY CASE: The case revolves around the now-defunct liquor policy introduced by the Delhi government. It aimed to increase revenue and eliminate corruption by privatizing the sector but was scrapped amid allegations of undue benefits being extended to certain private players.

In the prosecution complaint filed by the ED, Singh's name is mentioned in a statement by businessman Dinesh Arora, an accused in the case. Arora reportedly met Singh, through whom he eventually met Sisodia, during a party at a restaurant. The complaint quotes him as saying that he spoke to many restaurant owners "on request of Mr. Singh" and "arranged cheques amounting to Rs 82 lakh (handed over to Mr. Sisodia)" for the collection of party funds.

Back in May, Singh had challenged the ED and sent a legal notice to agency officials for "maliciously" implicating him in the case. The ED responded, acknowledging a typographical error and inadvertently naming him in only one place out of four references in the supplementary prosecution complaint.

Singh's arrest followed a Delhi court's decision to allow Raghav Magunta Reddy, son of YSR Congress Party MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and businessman Dinesh Arora, both accused in the case, to become approvers.