Supreme Court grants bail to Abhishek Boinpally in Delhi excise policy money laundering case

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar confirmed their earlier order of interim bail, making it permanent. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), did not oppose Boinpally's bail plea, prompting the court to grant the request. The Supreme Court had previously extended Boinpally's interim bail on August 13, following an initial order on March 20 that released him after 18 months in custody.

The businessman had been under extended interim bail conditions, including surrendering his passport and remaining within the National Capital Region, except for visits to Hyderabad. Boinpally had been challenging the legality of his 2022 arrest, arguing that it violated Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which governs arrest procedures by ED officials.

The money laundering investigation stems from a CBI FIR registered after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena called for a probe into alleged irregularities in the 2021-22 excise policy, which was later scrapped in September 2022 amid corruption allegations. Authorities claim that Boinpally participated in secret meetings and conspired with others, including liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru, to launder money linked to the case.