Delhi Court Grants Bail to IPAC Director in WB Coal Scam Case

A Delhi court granted regular bail on Thursday to Vinesh Kumar Chandel, director and cofounder of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC), in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal. The decision came a day after the state's two-phase assembly elections concluded, with voting held on April 23 and April 29 for 294 seats.

Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal at Patiala House Court approved the bail after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raised no objection, citing Chandel's voluntary and purposeful cooperation with the investigation. The court imposed a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and a surety of the same amount, along with conditions that Chandel not leave the country without permission, refrain from tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses, and continue cooperating with the probe.

Chandel was arrested by the ED in mid-April and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody on April 23. The agency alleges IPAC laundered proceeds of crime worth several crores from illegal coal mining and transportation in West Bengal. Investigators have uncovered financial irregularities, including receipt of accounted and unaccounted...