Delhi Court Grants Bail To I-PAC Director Vinesh Chandel In Money Laundering Case, Notes ED Did Not Oppose
Delhi court grants bail to IPAC director Vinesh Chandel in ED money laundering case
A Delhi court on Thursday granted regular bail to Vinesh Chandel, director of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 13 in an alleged money laundering case.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Amit Bansal of the Patiala House Court passed the order, recording that the ED did not oppose the bail plea.
The Court noted that since the prosecution chose not to contest the application, the stringent “twin conditions” under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) would not apply. “The learned Special Public Prosecutor has been given the opportunity to oppose the bail, but he has not done so, and hence the twin conditions won't be applicable,” the court observed.
According to the ED, Chandel is a founder and holds a 33% stake in PAC Consulting Private Limited and is under investigation in a money laundering case arising out of an FIR registered by the Delhi Police.
The agency has alleged that the company was involved in multiple financial irregularities, including routing of funds through third parties, issuance of bogus invoices, and raising unsecured loans without legitimate business backing. It further claimed that both domestic and international hawala channels were used to move funds. “Investigation has further revealed that Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd was involved in laundering proceeds of crime to the tune of multiple crores. The amount detected so far is about ₹50 crore,” the ED stated.
Earlier, on April 14, the Court had held that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) complied with statutory requirements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) while arresting Vinesh Kumar Chandel, Director of I-PAC, and granted the agency 10 days’ custody for further investigation. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Shefali Barnala Tandon of the Patiala House Court had passed the order.
In its order, the court had recorded that all mandatory safeguards under Sections 19(1), 19(2), and 19(3) of the PMLA were duly followed at the time of arrest. It noted that copies of the arrest order, grounds of arrest, and related documents were furnished to the accused with proper acknowledgment, and that the material was also forwarded to the Adjudicating Authority in accordance with law. Referring to the Enforcement Directorate’s submissions, the court had taken note of allegations that Chandel was involved in routing funds through informal channels, including hawala, and that certain transactions were conducted outside the formal banking system. The agency further claimed that multiple financial dealings with various entities lacked any apparent legitimate business purpose.
In a related news, there is a plea before the Supreme Court, filed by Enforcement Directorate’s plea against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and certain state police officers over the alleged obstruction of a search at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC, which works with the All India Trinamool Congress. The plea filed by the ED alleges that its officials were obstructed while conducting a search on January 8 at the office of I-PAC, the political consultant engaged by the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. The ED has accused state authorities of interfering with the exercise of its statutory powers.
On the last hearing, on January 15, the court had issued notice on petitions filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and its officers alleging interference by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior state police officials during a search conducted at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Prateek Jain. The bench had observed that the matter raised “larger questions” concerning the independence of investigations by central agencies and possible interference by state authorities, warranting examination by the apex court.
Bench: Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Amit Bansal
Order Date: April 30, 2026