SC grants bail to Vijay Nair

The Supreme Court has granted bail to former AAP communication in-charge, Vijay Nair in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi liquor gate.

Relying on the legal principle of "bail is rule and jail is exception" cited by a coordinate bench, the top court said pre-trial incarceration cannot be a punishment.

A SC bench noted that Nair had been in jail for the last 22 months in the money laundering case where the maximum punishment is seven years. Nair, who was arrested by the agency on 13^th November 2022, had challenged the trial court's 29^th July order dismissing his default bail plea.

On 3^rd July of the last year, the Delhi High Court had refused to grant bail to Nair and other co-accused in the same case.