Excise Policy Case: SC Adjourns Hearing On Vijay Nair Bail Plea

The Supreme Court on Wednesday postponed the hearing on businessman Vijay Nair’s bail plea in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy.

A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti adjourned the matter at the request of Nair’s counsel, who sought more time to add additional documents to the case.

Nair, through his advocate Binisa Mohanty, is challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision to deny him bail in the liquor policy case, a decision that was also upheld by the trial court. In his previous bail plea, Nair argued that he was merely the media and communications head for the AAP and had no involvement in the creation or implementation of the excise policy, claiming he was being “victimised” due to his political affiliation. He described the allegations against him as “wrong, false, and baseless” and labeled his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on November 13, 2022, as illegal and motivated by external factors, particularly since the special court was due to decide on his bail plea in the corruption case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The ED has accused Nair of receiving Rs 100 crore in kickbacks on behalf of AAP leaders from a group known as the South Group. Nair, the former Media and Communication head of AAP and the ex-CEO of the entertainment and event management firm Only Much Louder, faces accusations from both the ED and CBI of irregularities in the excise policy changes. These changes allegedly included undue favours to licence holders, waiving or reducing licence fees, and extending L-1 licences without proper authority approval.

The L-1 licence is issued to entities with at least five years of wholesale distribution experience in the liquor trade in any state.