New Delhi, Jan 19 – A Delhi court has granted a two-week interim bail to AAP’s former communications in-charge Vijay Nair, arrested in connection with a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case.
Special Judge M.K. Nagpal, of Rouse Avenue Courts, provided relief to Nair, citing the urgency of medical assistance based on the medical reports presented to the court.
The court allowed the interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh with one surety of the same amount.
The judge also imposed conditions, stating that Nair should not destroy or tamper with evidence, influence any witnesses, or engage with co-accused, suspects, or witnesses during the specified period.
Additionally, the court directed Nair not to participate in criminal activities or commit any offences and emphasised that the interim bail should solely be utilised for his medical treatment and not for any other purposes.
Nair’s plea cited health concerns, claiming that he is suffering from various ailments and the court had earlier asked the jail superintendent to provide his medical reports.
Nair had moved the Delhi High Court challenging trial court’s order denying him bail.
Judge Nagpal had refused to grant Nair the relief stating that the issue was already dealt with by the high court., which had dismissed his application for grant of regular bail sought on the ground that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed an incomplete prosecution complaint in his case.
Observing that “allegations are quite serious”, the judge Nagpal had denied bail to Nair and four others – Sameer Mahendru, Abhishek Boinpally, Sarath Chandra Reddy, and Benoy Babu. He had held that there was enough incriminating evidence to show the entire “modus operandi” adopted by the accused persons for the commission of offenses under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
On the allegations and role of Nair, the court had said: “Though he was only the media and communication in-charge of AAP, it has been revealed during the investigation of this case that he was actually representing the AAP and Delhi government in different meetings that took place with the stakeholders in liquor business at different places.
“His participation in the meetings in this capacity is to be viewed in light of the facts that he was residing in the official accommodation allotted to a senior Minister of the AAP and once he is even alleged to have represented himself as an OSD in the Excise Department of Delhi government, and further that none from the government or AAP officially participated in these meetings.”
The ED had registered its case based on the FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
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