On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed businessman Abhishek Boinpally to be released on bail in the Delhi excise policy case being probed by the ED. All other accused persons in the case have been released on bail, which was a factor that influenced this court’s decision to grant the same to Boinpally.
Originally released on interim bail on March 6 this year, Boinpally’s release has been repeatedly renewed since then. A bench comprising of Justices MM Sundresh and Aravind Kumar said, “There is no issue that all the other accused in the case are out on bail. With regard to the above circumstances, we therefore recommend that bail be granted.” The court also imposed provisions as to the conditions of the bails to be given in that it allowed the trial judge to place conditions on those bails so that only reasonable conditions are implemented.
During the hearing, the Additional Solicitor General (ASG)SV Raju, who appeared for the ED, did not object to Boinpally’s bail application, stating that the others accused have already been released on bail. Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary, who appeared for Boinpally, pointed out that besides the order that provided interim bail, it restricted him to movement within Delhi but allowed him to visit Hyderabad, which is his native place. He asked the court to guarantee that this provision would not affect the trial court’s capacity to attach conditions to his release on bond.
The Supreme Court bench pointed out that the restriction to travel during the interim bail period could not be intended to be permanent. Boinpally was last granted interim bail in August when his lawyers claimed that the top court bailing out former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was applicable to him, especially as the trial in the ED probe has not begun yet. The case against Boinpally includes charges of operating as a ‘front’ for money laundering, entering and exiting other accused persons, making matters even murkier regarding the case.
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