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I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel granted bail day after West Bengal elections
The bail comes just two days after Vinesh Chandel was denied interim bail on Tuesday, April 28.
Just a day after the West Bengal assembly elections concluded, a Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel in a money laundering case.
Chandel was granted relief by after the court noted that the Enforcement Directorate has not opposed his bail and hence, the twin conditions under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the grant of bail did not apply.
The bail comes just two days after Chandel was denied interim bail on Tuesday, April 28, when the court ruled that his plea did not meet the threshold of “exceptional humanitarian grounds” necessary for granting such as relief.
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Chandel had sought interim relief on the grounds that his 74-year-old mother's health is deteriorating. She is reportedly suffering from dementia.
Additional sessions judge Shefali Barnala Tandon of Patiala House Court had said that while the court was mindful of the elderly parents’ medical vulnerability, the records did not show any sudden or life-threatening situation requiring the accused’s immediate presence.
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The court also said that there was lack of evidence that show that the mother's medical needs
The court also observed that there was no evidence to suggest the mother’s medical needs could not be met through hospitalisation, professional care, or support from other family members.
Chandel was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in April ahead of the assembly polls in West Bengal in connection with a money laundering probe linked to a case related to alleged illegal mining and transportation of coal in West Bengal. Chandel is the director of political consultancy firm I-PAC and holds a 33% stake in the company.
The probe agency alleged that I-PAC received around ₹20 crore proceeds of crime generated in West Bengal coal mining racket through hawala channels.
