Delhi Excise policy case: The Rouse Avenue Court has accepted the bail bond of former AAP office-bearer Vijay Nair after he got by the Supreme Court in the Delhi liquor policy case. The court has issued an order for Nair's release from Tihar Jail.
With the Supreme Court granting conditional bail, Nair is expected to be released today.
SC grants bail to Vijay Nair
Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court granted bail to Vijay Nair. The top court cited Manish Sisodia's case as a reference while granting bail to the former AAP office bearer. He has been in Tihar Jail for 23 months. As an undertrial, he could not be kept in jail for an extended period. Natural justice dictates that imprisonment is an exception, and bail is the rule.
Former AAP media in-charge and accused Vijay Nair received significant relief from the Supreme Court which granted bail to Vijay Nair in the ED case. Nair was already out on bail in the CBI case. After getting bail in the ED case, Nair will walk out of the jail. The Supreme Court used the bail granted to K. Kavitha and Manish Sisodia as a basis for this decision.
Vijay Nair has been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) since 2014 and used to do fund-raising work for the party. Nair was responsible for the media and communication strategy of the AAP. Nair was arrested by the agency on November 13, 2022.
The CBI earlier alleged that Nair was actively involved in irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the GNCTD of Delhi for the year 2021-22.
Delhi Excise policy case
The matter relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP. The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to licence holders.
