Delhi court grants bail to I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel in money laundering case
Vinesh Chandel's arrest just before the West Bengal Assembly polls had sparked a political storm as I-PAC advises the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state.
A Delhi court Thursday granted bail to Vinesh Chandel, director and co-founder of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), a leading political consultancy, in connection with a money laundering case. The decision came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chose not to oppose his regular bail.
The case, linked to an alleged coal-smuggling racket, saw Chandel arrested just as West Bengal prepared for Assembly elections. His arrest sparked a political storm, as the firm advises the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal. His bail order came a day after polling was completed in the state.
“The ED is not opposing the present regular bail application of the accused…the court may impose conditions upon the applicant while releasing him on regular bail on this case,” said Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal while orally pronouncing the order.
“It has been submitted that the investigation in the present case has commenced under the present ECIR under sections of the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act). The learned senior counsel for the applicant has referred to PMLA Section 45 and has submitted that in the present case, 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 in this case,” he added.
The relief comes just two days after a different sessions judge denied Chandel interim bail. He had sought release to care for his 74-year-old mother, who has dementia.
“While this Court is not insensitive to the medical vulnerability of elderly parents, the material placed on record does not disclose any sudden or life-threatening medical emergency necessitating the immediate presence of the applicant/accused,” said Additional Sessions Judge Shefali Barnala Tandon of Patiala House Court in her order dated April 28.
As per the ED, the political consultancy firm was involved in laundering proceeds of crime to the tune of crores of rupees, and the amount detected so far is about Rs 50 crore. Chandel holds a 33 per cent stake in the company.
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The ED had claimed that IPAC was engaged in money laundering “through a structured mechanism of financial transactions”. The company engaged in “splitting receipts between banking channels and unaccounted cash components, including funds received from political parties”, the agency alleged.
Unaccounted money was allegedly utilised for “election-related expenditure and influencing public perception”, it said.
While granting him bail, ASJ Bansal orally read out his bail conditions. “The applicant shall not leave India without permission, he shall furnish his contact number and address and continue accessibility. He shall join the investigation and shall cooperate. He shall not tamper with evidence or influence witnesses.”
While Special Public Prosecutor Simon Benjamin represented the ED, Chandel was represented by Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa.
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.
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