AAP leaders allege Bansuri Swaraj represented ED in Sanjay Singh case; she resigned as Group 'A' panel advocate for Centre on March 8

Apr 03, 2024

New Delhi [India], April 3 : With AAP leaders taking potshots at BJP following bail to party leader Sanjay Singh in the Delhi excise policy case and alleging that Bansuri Swaraj appeared for the Enforcement Directorate, her office said that she had resigned as Group A Panel Advocate for the Central Government on March 8 which was accepted on March 15.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that an inadvertent error crept into the recording of the appearance in the order copy yesterday while granting bail to Sanjay Singh, as advocate Bansuri Swaraj did not appear for the probe agency in the matter.
ED counsel Zoheb Hossain mentioned the following facts before a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
ED counsel apprised the top court that an inadvertent error crept into the recording of the appearance in the order copy granting bail to Sanjay Singh yesterday. The counsel said that Swaraj did not appear for the probe agency.
The bench, led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, said that it will be corrected.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to AAP leader Sanjay Singh in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy irregularities case. The court order came after the ED chose not to oppose Sanjay Singh's bail plea.
A March 15 Law Ministry order said that the President has accepted the resignation of Bansuri Swaraj as Group 'A' Panel Counsel for Supreme Court of India "with effect from the date of this order".
Bansuri Swaraj, who is daughter of former union minister Sushma Swaraj and is contesting Lok Sabha polls from New Delhi seat as BJP candidate, had tendered her resignation from the post of Group 'A' Panel Advocate for the Central Government before the Supreme Court of India on March 8.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that Bansuri Swaraj was representing the Directorate of Enforcement in the case against party leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh.
"In Sanjay Singh's case, among the lawyers representing ED is BJP candidate and its spokesperson Bansuri Swaraj. I had said yesterday that BJP and ED are the same thing," Bhardwaj posted on X.
He also shared a copy of the petition which mentioned Bansuri Swaraj's name as a lawyer representing the respondents.
"BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj's name is also there in the list of ED lawyers. So it has become clear that ED and BJP are one. They were saying that ED is an independent probe agency. How is it independent if your own party member is pleading as a lawyer for the ED?"he asked.
Party leader and Delhi Minister Atishi also attacked the BJP.
"By yesterday's SC order, ED got the name of BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from New Delhi and lawyer Bansuri Swaraj removed citing a mistake; But Bansuri Swaraj has not just appeared once; rather, she has repeatedly appeared in favour of the ED," Atishi posted on X.
"Now BJP leaders argue in court for the so-called 'independent' agency of the central government. Changing an order cannot hide the truth. And everyone knows it. ED is BJP and BJP is ED," she alleged.
BJP leaders said AAP leaders have jumped to a conclusion without checking facts.