Excise policy case: Delhi HC notice to ED in Vijay Nair’s bail plea

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair's bail plea in connection with the money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam.

Nair was only the media and communications in-charge of the AAP and had no role in the drafting, framing, or implementing of the excise policy in any manner, his counsel argued saying thatA he was being "victimised" for his political background.

After Nair's counsel's submissions, Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma issued notice to the ED and listed the matter for the next hearing on May 19.

A Delhi court had, on February 16, denied bail to Nair and four others.

Observing that "allegations are quite serious", special judge M.K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court had, apart from Nair, denied bail to Sameer Mahendru, Abhishek Boinpally, Sarath Chandra Reddy, and Benoy Babu.

He held that there is enough incriminating evidence to show the entire "modus operandi" adopted by the accused persons for the commission of offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

On the allegations and role of Nair, the court had said, "Though he was only the media and communication in charge of AAP, it has been revealed during the investigation of this case that he was actually representing the AAP and GNCTD in different meetings that took place with the stakeholders in liquor business at different places. His participation in the meetings in this capacity is to be viewed in light of the facts that he was residing in the official accommodation allotted to a senior Minister of the AAP and once he is even alleged to have represented himself as an OSD in the Excise Department of GNCTD and further that none from the Government or AAP officially participated in these meetings."