Excise “scam”, sexual harassment complaint against ex-WFI chief, Par security breach dominate Delhi courts’ proceedings in 2023

Grappling with a sexual harassment complaint against former WFI chief and BJP strongman Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a raft of cases related to the alleged excise policy scam involving Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) bigwigs, including Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, the UAPA case against news portal NewsClick and the glaring breach in Parliament security, Delhi’s district judiciary was a hive of activity in 2023.

A special court dealing with the excise policy matters denied bail to former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the alleged corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, respectively. The court also denied bail to senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in a money laundering case linked to the alleged scam.

A Rouse Avenue court for cases against lawmakers saw the then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Singh locked in a legal wrangle with a group of women grapplers who accused him of sexual harassment.