Patiala House Court granted bail to Vinesh Chandel in an ED money laundering case, noting no opposition from the agency. This is notable under PMLA Section 45, where strict twin conditions usually restrict bail unless courts are satisfied on innocence and conduct.
The Patiala House Court granted regular bail to Vinesh Chandel, a director associated with the Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC), in a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Chandel had been taken into custody on April 13. The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal with the court noting that the ED did not oppose the bail application.
This observation is significant in light of Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which ordinarily imposes stringent “twin conditions” for granting bail requiring the court to be satisfied that the accused is not guilty of the offence and is unlikely to commit any offence while on bail.
In granting relief, the Court recorded:
“The learned Senior counsel for the applicant has referred to PMLA Section 45 and has submitted that in the present case, the learned Special Public Prosecutor has been given the opportunity to oppose the bail, but he has not done so, and hence the twin conditions won’t be applicable in this case.”
According to the ED, Chandel is among the founders of PAC Consulting Private Limited and holds a 33% stake in the firm, which is currently under investigation for alleged financial irregularities. The case originates from a First Information Report registered by the Delhi Police, which subsequently led to the ED initiating proceedings under the PMLA framework.
The matter has drawn considerable attention due to earlier enforcement actions linked to the investigation. Notably, searches were conducted at IPAC’s office in Salt Lake, Kolkata, an episode that reportedly led to political tensions, including a standoff involving Mamata Banerjee. The probe is part of a broader scrutiny of the financial dealings of the consultancy firm and its related entities.
The ED has alleged that the company engaged in a range of questionable financial activities. These include managing both accounted and unaccounted funds, raising unsecured loans without a clear business purpose, generating fake invoices, and routing funds through intermediaries. The agency has further claimed that certain transactions were facilitated through domestic and international hawala channels to move money across jurisdictions.
Regarding its findings so far, the ED stated: “Investigation has further revealed that Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd was involved in laundering proceeds of crime to the tune of multiple crores. The amount detected so far is about Rs 50 Crore,”
ED indicated that the investigation remains ongoing and that further details may emerge as proceedings continue.
Earlier, on 14th April, he was sent to 10 days of custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe. The remand order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Shefali Barnala Tandon at the Patiala House Courts. Chandel was taken into custody by the ED late night and subsequently presented before the court. After a hearing the judge directed that he be remanded to ED custody.
The case follows a First Information Report (FIR) registered by Delhi Police.
Earlier, the ED had raided the office of I-PAC in Kolkata’s Salt Lake, which led to a tense standoff with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. According to the ED, its probe has found several instances of financial irregularities linked to the company.
These allegedly include receipt of both accounted and unaccounted funds, unsecured loans without a valid business basis, creation of bogus invoices, and transfer of funds through third parties.
The ED had raided the office of I-PAC in Kolkata’s Salt Lake, which led to a tense standoff with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
According to the ED, its probe has found several instances of financial irregularities linked to the company.
These allegedly include receipt of both accounted and unaccounted funds, unsecured loans without a valid business basis, creation of bogus invoices, and transfer of funds through third parties. The ED has also alleged that domestic and international hawala channels were used to move cash.
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