Supreme Court Issues Notice to ED on Vijay Nair's Bail Plea in Delhi Excise Policy Case

The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate regarding Vijay Nair's bail plea in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi Excise Policy. Nair, who has been in custody since September 2022, argues his detention is unwarranted given that co-accused Manish Sisodia was granted bail.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning businessman Vijay Nair's bail plea in a money laundering case tied to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy case. Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti demanded a response from the ED on Nair's plea.

Nair is challenging a Delhi High Court order that denied him bail in the liquor policy case. His bail request was previously rejected by the trial court. According to Nair's counsel, the petitioner has been in custody for nearly two years, first arrested by the CBI in September 2022 and then by the ED. He is seeking bail on the grounds of parity, noting that co-accused Manish Sisodia was granted bail and the trial has not yet commenced.

Nair's counsel further argued that his client should not remain incarcerated and deserved to be released on bail. In his earlier plea before the trial court, Nair maintained that he was merely the media and communications in charge of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and had no role in drafting, framing, or implementing the excise policy. He claimed victimization due to his political affiliation. Nair also contended that his arrest by the ED on November 13, 2022, was illegal and seemed driven by extraneous motives, as the special court was about to pronounce its order on his bail plea in a corruption case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The ED had previously informed the court that Nair allegedly received kickbacks worth Rs 100 crore on behalf of AAP leaders from a group known as the south group.

Vijay Nair, formerly the Media and Communication Charge of AAP, and former CEO of the entertainment and event management firm Only Much Louder, faces allegations from both the ED and the CBI. They claim irregularities in modifying the excise policy led to undue favours for license holders, waived or reduced licence fees, and extended the L-1 licence without proper authority approvals. The L-1 licence is intended for business entities with at least five years of wholesale distribution experience in the liquor trade in any state.