The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the hearing for some other day the bail petition by one Vijay Nair, former communications in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Party, in a money laundering case allegedly involving the purported Delhi excise policy scandal.
The Bench headed by Justice Hrishikesh Roy was thus compelled to defer the case as the counsel for the ED sought a week's time to file its response to the bail application moved by Nair. The Bench, which also comprised Justice SVN Batti, did appear unhappy with the delay and expressed its discontent stating that though the counsel for ED had appeared in the matter, no counter affidavit has yet been filed.
With this, the case is likely to be listed on September 2, when further hearings may take place.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to ED on the plea of Nair and asked it to file its response by August 27.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Nair, referred to the earlier order of the Supreme Court granting bail to Manish Sisodia in the excise policy case on the ground of delay in the start of the trial.
Singhvi had argued that while bail was granted to Nair in a corruption case, he had to remain in custody for almost two years because of the ED case and some more time was required to complete the trial.
In July last year, the Delhi High Court led by Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma had rejected the bail plea of Nair against a trial court's order which had refused his application. Rouse Avenue Court had earlier rejected the bail of Nair and four others - Sameer Mahendru, Abhishek Boinpally, Sarath Chandra Reddy, and Benoy Babu- observing that the evidence seized against them was of considerable nature which showed "modus operandi" adopted by the accused for committing offences under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The trial court noted that though Nair was heading the media and communications on behalf of AAP, he attended the meetings with the stakeholders in the business of liquor in the capacity of AAP and also GNCTD. Further, it emphasized that he is staying on an accommodation meant for a senior Minister of AAP on the official circuit and he was also said to have impersonated as OSD in the Excise Department of GNCTD, though there was no official representation from the side of GNCTD or AAP.
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