In a relief to former AAP communication in-charge Vijay Nair, the Supreme Court on Monday granted him bail after nearly 23 months of incarceration in a money laundering case stemming from the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, observing that liberty is “sacrosanct” and needs to be respected in cases involving even stringent laws.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti also relied upon the legal principle of “bail is rule and jail is exception” referred to by a bench headed by Justice B R Gavai while granting bail to AAP leader and former deputy chief Minister Manish Sisodia and and BRS leader K Kavitha in the same case.
Amanatullah being taken by ED. Pic/PTI (right) Vijay Nair, former communication’s in-charge
Sisodia was granted bail on August 9 by the top court which also extended the same relief to Kavitha on August 27. However, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is yet to get it in the corruption case lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the main corruption case.
“There cannot be a mode of punishment without a trial being commenced. The universal proposition of ‘bail being the rule and jail being the exception’ will be entirely defeated if the petitioner is kept in custody as an undertrial for such a long duration when the sentence can only be 7 years maximum in the event of conviction. We are of the view that the petitioner deserves bail. Accordingly, bail is granted on the terms in this order,” Justice Roy said in the order.
Bibhav gets bail in assault case
The Supreme Court granted bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar in the Swati Maliwal assault case. A bench directed that Kumar will not be reinstated as a personal assistant to Kejriwal or given any official assignment in the chief minister’s office.
Amanatullah arrested by ED
The ED arrested AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan as part of a money laundering investigation against him and some others linked to him, official sources said. He was taken into custody under PMLA in connection with financial irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board.
