A Delhi court on Thursday granted interim bail to Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) co-founder and director Vinesh Chandel in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal.
Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal at the Patiala House Court noted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had not opposed the bail plea.
The bail was granted on a bond of ₹2 lakh along with a surety of the same amount. The court imposed several conditions, including that Chandel must not leave the country without prior permission, must not tamper with evidence, and must cooperate with the investigation.
The detailed order is yet to be uploaded.
Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, along with Advocate Abhishek Mishra, appeared for Chandel.
On Tuesday, the court had rejected Chandel’s bail plea, stating that it did not meet the threshold of exceptional humanitarian grounds. The I-PAC chief had sought interim relief citing the deteriorating medical condition of his mother, who is suffering from dementia.
Chandel was taken into custody by the ED on April 13 after being questioned earlier in the day. His arrest, which came days before the West Bengal Assembly elections, raised eyebrows, as I-PAC is currently assisting the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the polls.
The firm has been providing services to the TMC since 2021.
The coal smuggling case dates back to November 2020, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR based on information about a multi-crore coal pilferage scam involving Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) in West Bengal.
I-PAC was allegedly a beneficiary of ₹20 crore routed through hawala transactions to the consultancy’s sister concern.
