Delhi High Court Reserves Order on Sameer Mahendru’s Bail Plea
The Delhi High Court has reserved its decision on the bail plea of Sameer Mahendru, who is accused in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna reserved the order after hearing arguments from both sides.
Arguments from Mahendru’s Counsel
Advocate Dhruv Gupta, representing Mahendru, argued that his client has been in custody for over 22 months. He pointed out that another accused, Manish Sisodia, was granted bail by the Supreme Court after 17 months in custody. Gupta argued that Mahendru has a stronger case for bail and cited a Supreme Court judgment in Sisodia’s case, stating that delay is a valid ground for bail. He also mentioned that Mahendru is not a politician and has been in custody for a long time, including during interim bail.
Arguments from the Enforcement Directorate
The Enforcement Directorate’s counsel opposed the bail plea, arguing that delay is not a valid reason for bail in economic offences. They noted that Mahendru was granted interim bail earlier due to his wife’s health, but it was later dismissed.
Background
Sameer Mahendru was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on September 28, 2022, in connection with the money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy. Other accused in the case include Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, and BRS leader K Kavitha.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big court in Delhi, India, where important legal cases are decided.
Reserves Order -: When a court ‘reserves order,’ it means the judge will think about the case and give a decision later.
Sameer Mahendru -: Sameer Mahendru is a person who is accused of doing something wrong with money, called money laundering.
Bail Plea -: A bail plea is when someone asks the court to let them out of jail while they wait for their trial.
Money Laundering -: Money laundering is when people try to hide where their money came from, usually because it was earned in illegal ways.
Delhi Excise Policy -: The Delhi excise policy is a set of rules about how alcohol is sold and taxed in Delhi.
Custody -: Custody means being kept in jail or under police watch.
Manish Sisodia -: Manish Sisodia is another person who was accused in the same case but was let out of jail earlier.
Enforcement Directorate -: The Enforcement Directorate is a government agency in India that looks into financial crimes like money laundering.
Economic Offences -: Economic offences are crimes that involve money, like stealing or cheating with money.
September 28, 2022 -: This is the date when Sameer Mahendru was arrested and put in jail.