Supreme Court Reviews Vijay Nair’s Bail Plea in Delhi Excise Policy Case

The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding businessman Vijay Nair’s bail plea in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi Excise Policy. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti has sought a reply from the ED on Nair’s plea.

Nair, who has been in custody for nearly two years, was initially arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in September 2022 and later by the ED. He has challenged the Delhi High Court’s decision to deny him bail, arguing that he should be granted bail on the grounds of parity, as co-accused Manish Sisodia has been granted bail and the trial has not yet commenced.

Nair’s counsel argued that his client should not continue to be incarcerated and deserves to be released on bail. Nair claims he was only the media and communications in charge of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and was not involved in the drafting, framing, or implementation of the excise policy. He asserts that the allegations against him are false and that his arrest by the ED was illegal and motivated by extraneous considerations.

The ED alleges that Vijay Nair received kickbacks worth Rs 100 crore on behalf of AAP leaders from a group called the South Group. Nair is the former Media and Communication Charge of the AAP and the former CEO of the entertainment and event management firm Only Much Louder. The ED and CBI claim that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, including undue favors to license holders, waiving or reducing the license fee, and extending the L-1 license without proper approval. The L-1 license is granted to a business entity with at least five years of wholesale distribution experience in the liquor trade.