Supreme Court Defers Vijay Nair's Bail Hearing in Money Laundering Case

The Supreme Court deferred the hearing of businessman Vijay Nair's bail plea in connection to the Delhi Excise Policy case. The Enforcement Directorate sought one more week to file a response. Nair, detained for 21 months, claims innocence and seeks bail on grounds of parity with co-accused Manish Sisodia.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday postponed the bail hearing of businessman Vijay Nair in a money laundering case linked to the alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy. The deferment came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) requested additional time of one week to file their response.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Nair, emphasized that his client has been incarcerated for the past 21 months. Nair is challenging a Delhi High Court order that denied him bail in the liquor policy case. His bail request had previously been rejected by the trial court as well.

Nair was initially apprehended by the CBI in September 2022 and later by the ED. He is seeking bail on the grounds of parity with co-accused Manish Sisodia, who has been granted bail. Nair's counsel argued that his continued imprisonment is unjust, pointing out that he merely served as the media and communications head of AAP, with no involvement in the excise policy's formulation or implementation. Nair maintains that the allegations against him are false and politically motivated.

He contends that his arrest by the ED on November 13, 2022, was illegal and timed strategically to disrupt a pending bail order from a special court on related corruption charges being investigated by the CBI. According to the ED, Nair purportedly received kickbacks amounting to Rs 100 crore on behalf of AAP leaders from a group called South Group.

Nair, a former Media and Communication In-charge of AAP and ex-CEO of entertainment firm Only Much Louder, faces accusations of modifying the excise policy to benefit licence holders, waiving or reducing licence fees, and extending L-1 licenses without proper authorization from the competent authority.

The L-1 licence, significant in this case, is granted to businesses with at least five years of wholesale distribution experience in the liquor trade of any state.

(With inputs from agencies.)