Supreme Court Grants Bail to Vijay Nair

The Supreme Court granted bail to former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communication in-charge Vijay Nair, who had been incarcerated for 22 months in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti emphasized the legal principle that 'bail is the rule and jail is the exception,' noting that pre-trial incarceration should not serve as punishment. The court underscored the importance of the right to liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution, ordering Nair's release on a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh and requiring him to surrender his passport. Nair's arrest stemmed from a CBI FIR initiated after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a probe into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The court's decision follows its earlier assurance that the trial in the excise policy case should conclude within six to eight months. Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vikram Chaudhary represented Nair, arguing that his prolonged detention was unjustified.