No bail to ex-AAP MLA Naresh Balyan in ‘organised crime’ case

Balyan’s bail refusal comes days after a Delhi court discharged him in a 2023 extortion case.

naresh balyanNaresh Balyan was arrested in the MCOCA case on December 4, 2024. He was denied bail in the case by a trial court on January 15, 2025. (Source: File)

The Delhi High Court Monday denied bail to former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan in a case registered under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) that claimed his alleged involvement in organised crime.

Justice Manoj Jain pronounced the verdict in open court; a detailed order is awaited.

The refusal comes days after a magistrate court in Delhi discharged Balyan in a related extortion case from 2023.

Balyan was arrested in the MCOCA case on December 4, 2024. He was denied bail in the case by a trial court on January 15, 2025.

The original case

The extortion case against Balyan stems from a police complaint filed by Gurcharan, a businessman and a resident of Mohan Garden in West Delhi, alleging that in July 2023, he had received an extortion call from gangster Kapil Sangwan demanding Rs 1 crore.

Balyan’s involvement was suspected later in 2024 following a broadcast on a Hindi news channel featuring alleged recordings of a phone call between him and Sangwan.

Balyan was arrested on November 30, 2024, but was granted bail the same evening.

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But he was arrested again on December 4, 2024, under MCOCA charges.

The MCOCA was invoked against gangster Sangwan in 2024 in connection with the extortion case. Police officers said Balyan’s name cropped up in the case as an alleged facilitator to settle the extortion demand made by Sangwan to a businessman. They also claimed they had two statements of witnesses against Balyan.

The extortion case verdict

In his order dated July 31, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Paras Dalal of the Rouse Avenue Court had flagged several lapses in the investigation into the extortion case.

“… the (Delhi) Police report — without explanation — relies heavily upon secondary evidence, and there is also no explanation why primary evidence has not been seized or produced… When the complainant’s phone was available, why was not the same seized and sent for analyses? Why was secondary evidence in the form of a pen drive seized, which was never compared with original recordings in the mobile?,” the order read.

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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