Supreme Court Delays Vijay Nair’s Bail Hearing in Delhi Excise Policy Case

The Supreme Court of India has postponed the hearing on businessman Vijay Nair’s bail plea in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy. The hearing was adjourned by a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti, who granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) one more week to file a response.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Nair, highlighted that his client has been in jail for the last 21 months. Nair is challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision to deny him bail in the liquor policy case. His bail plea was previously rejected by the trial court.

Nair was initially arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in September 2022 and later by the ED. He is seeking bail on the grounds that co-accused Manish Sisodia has been granted bail and the trial has not yet commenced. Nair’s counsel argued that he should not remain in jail and deserves to be released on bail.

In his earlier bail plea, Nair stated that he was only the media and communications in charge of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and was not involved in the excise policy’s drafting, framing, or implementation. He claimed that the allegations against him were false and that his arrest by the ED on November 13, 2022, was illegal and motivated by external factors.

The ED alleged that Nair, on behalf of AAP leaders, received kickbacks amounting to Rs 100 crore from a group called South Group. Nair is the former Media and Communication In-charge of AAP and the former CEO of the entertainment and event management firm Only Much Louder. The ED and CBI claimed that irregularities were committed in modifying the excise policy, including undue favours to licence holders and extending the L-1 licence without proper approval. The L-1 licence is granted to entities with at least five years of wholesale distribution experience in the liquor trade.