The Supreme Court Today (Aug 27) adjourned hearing on the bail plea of former Aam Aadmi Party communication in-charge Vijay Nair in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A bench of justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti deferred the matter after the counsel for the ED sought a weeks’ time for filing a counter affidavit.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the hearing of the bail plea of Vijay Nair, the former communications in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Party, who is implicated in a money laundering case connected to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
A bench composed of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti decided to postpone the proceedings after the counsel representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) requested an additional week to file a counter affidavit.
“Reluctantly, time prayed for is granted,”
-the bench remarked.
On August 12, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the ED in response to Nair’s plea, acknowledging that he had been in custody for two years. Senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and Vikram Chaudhary, representing Nair, argued on August 12 that Nair was arrested on November 13, 2022, and that he has challenged the trial court’s order from July 29, which denied his default bail plea.
Previously, on July 3 of the prior year, the high court had refused to grant bail to Nair and several co-accused in the money laundering case.
The money laundering charges against Nair originate from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a recommendation by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena for an investigation into the 2021-22 excise policy, which was subsequently repealed.
![[Delhi Excise Policy Scam] "Reluctantly, Time Prayed for is Granted": SC Adjourns Hearing on AAP's Vijay Nair Bail Plea](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-12-130913.png?resize=820%2C459&ssl=1)
The CBI has accused Nair of meeting with other co-accused, including liquor manufacturers and distributors, at various hotels in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi. These meetings allegedly involved the arrangement of “ill-gotten money through hawala operators” that was purportedly funneled to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as kickbacks in exchange for favorable treatment.
It was further alleged that businessman and co-accused Abhishek Boinpally participated in these meetings and was involved in the conspiracy to launder money alongside another accused, liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at nearly three dozen locations in Delhi and Punjab following the arrest of Mahendru, who is the managing director of the liquor distributor Indospirit Group, based in Delhi’s Jor Bagh.
Other individuals implicated in the case include former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, former excise commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, ex-deputy commissioner in the excise department Anand Tiwari, and former assistant commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.
According to both the CBI and ED, irregularities were committed in the modification of the excise policy, with undue favors allegedly extended to license holders.
The Delhi government had implemented the excise policy on November 17, 2021, but decided to scrap it by the end of September 2022 amid escalating allegations of corruption.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Vijay Nair
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Arvind Kejriwal
Click Here to Read Previous Reports of Delhi Excise Policy Scam
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