New Delhi | Updated: December 3, 2024 04:48 PM IST
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Balyan’s involvement was suspected later last year following a broadcast on a news channel featuring alleged recordings of a phone call between Sangwan and Balyan.
(Express File Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)
A Delhi court on Sunday (December 1) remanded Aam Aadmi Party’s Uttam Nagar MLA Naresh Balyan in police custody for two days in connection with an extortion case registered against him last year.
What is the case against Balyan?
Gurcharan, a resident of Mohan Garden alleged in July 2023 that he received an extortion call demanding Rs. 1 crore from gangster Kapil Sangwan @ Nandu. He also claimed that he was threatened with “dire consequences” if he failed to pay the amount. An investigation by the Delhi Police then concluded that Sangwan was operating from a foreign country.
Balyan’s involvement was suspected later last year following a broadcast on a Hindi news channel featuring alleged recordings of a phone call between Sangwan and Balyan. “On 30.11.2024, again above said audio clip regarding conversation between notorious gangster Kapil Sangwan @ Nandu, based abroad, and Naresh Balyan, an MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party, relating to collection of ransom amount through extortion got viral on social media platforms,” the remand application of the police alleged.
Following this, Balyan was interrogated by the police: “…initially he answered some questions but all of sudden he stopped cooperating in the investigation and flatly refused to answer,” the police alleged in their remand papers seeking five days custody of the MLA.
The police submitted before the Delhi Court that his custody was needed to “unearth” the conspiracy of other persons in the alleged “extortion syndicate”. They added that his custody was also needed to prevent him from threatening others, and to collect his voice sample to compare it to the audio clip which was being circulated. It was also their case that they needed Balyan in custody to communicate with and track down Sangwan.
What did Balyan’s counsel argue?
Naresh Balyan’s counsel called the arrest “illegal” and “political” stating that the grounds of arrest weren’t given to the accused in writing at the time of the arrest.
They also questioned the timing and the need for the arrest, pointing out that the voice samples in question had already existed for 17 months.
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The counsel also argued that the MLA couldn’t be arrested for remaining silent during interrogation as that was his right.
“Has an FSL examination of this voice sample been done? Suppose it turns out that the clip is doctored, who will be held responsible for my arrest?” argued Balyan’s counsel. “I’ve myself filed complaints against him. I’m a victim of extortion myself,” he added.
Balyan submitted before a Dwarka court last year that he had filed five complaints against Sangwan and others in 2022 and 2023. However, the police said they had not registered any FIRs on his complaint because of his suspected links with Sangwan.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More
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