I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel gets bail in money laundering case

New Delhi: A day after West Bengal recorded its highest-ever Assembly poll turnout since Independence at 92.47 per cent, a Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to Vinesh Chandel, co-founder and director of I-PAC, which had been working for the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) during the elections, in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in the state.

Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal granted the relief after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the court that it did not oppose the bail plea.

The court, however, imposed certain conditions while allowing the application. A detailed order is awaited.

Earlier on April 14, the court had allowed the ED to question Chandel in custody for 10 days, observing there were reasons to believe he was actively involved in processes related to the generation, diversion and possession of alleged proceeds of crime worth several crores.

The central agency had arrested him on April 13 following questioning in the coal-smuggling-linked money-laundering probe.

The bail order comes a day after the conclusion of the two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal, where polling stood at 93.19 per cent in Phase I held on April 23 and 91.66 per cent in Phase II, taking the combined turnout to 92.47 per cent, the highest recorded in the state since Independence, according to the Election Commission.

West Bengal has a voter base of 6.81 crore, and counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

The previous highest turnout in Assembly elections in the state was 84.72 per cent in 2011