The Supreme Court has granted bail to Vijay Nair in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Batti, on Monday, allowed the bail plea of Nair citing that he has been in custody for 23 months. The Court said that the basic rule is bail, while imprisonment before the trial is an exception.
It thus clarified that Nair’s liberty under Article 21 shall not be an exception even in severe laws. The Court observed that keeping Nair in jail for a long time without trial was an unjust punishment. The court granted bail with conditions similar to those set for co-accused Manish Sisodia and K Kavitha.
Nair had approached the high court earlier against the denial of bail by the trial court. The CBI arrested Nair in September 2022, followed by the ED. He cited parity and noted that the court had already granted bail to co-accused Manish Sisodia. His counsel had argued that it was not fair to keep him incarcerated when no trial had started as yet.
Nair, in his discharge plea, had said that he was only the media and communication in charge of the Aam Aadmi Party and had nothing to do with the formulation or implementation of the excise policy. He has contended that the allegations against him were wholly without basis and that his arrest is politically motivated. He also stated that his arrest by ED was illegal and appeared extraneous in context because the special court was to pronounce an order on his bail application linked to a probe into corruption allegations by the CBI.
Earlier, ED accused Nair of receiving bribe money worth Rs 100 crore from a group called South Group, allegedly on behalf of AAP leaders.Nair, former Media and Communication head of AAP and ex-CEO of Only Much Louder, faced accusations of irregularities. He allegedly gave undue favors to license holders by reducing or waiving license fees. Additionally, he issued L-1 licenses without proper approval.
The L-1 license is essential for businesses with at least five years of wholesale distribution experience in the liquor trade. The ED and CBI argued that the excise policy was altered to benefit specific entities maliciously.
The Supreme Court’s decision to grant bail highlights its commitment to constitutional rights. However, it also reflects the unique circumstances of each case. This release on bail has brought a new development in the ongoing legal process in the Delhi Excise Policy case.
ANI