New Delhi, Sep 2 (Reporter) The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam. A bench comprising Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice SVN Bhatti, after observing that the accused was in custody for 23 months and is incarcerated as undertrial said that the right of liberty under Article 21 is sacrosanct and requires to be respected even in cases where stringent provisions are enacted. The Court was told by Nair’s lawyer that he has been incarcerated for 23 months, and the maximum possible sentence for the charges against him under Sections 3 and 4 Prevention of Money Laundering Act was seven years. The Delhi High Court had last year denied bail to Nair observing that he was a close associate of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former minister Manish Sisodia, both of whom were facing investigation in similar cases. The High Court bench comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma while refusing bail had said, that Nair was acting as a part of the conspiracy and was part of the team which formulated the New liquor policy for Delhi in such a way that a channel to procure illegal funds regularly was generated. Earlier, Special Judge M K Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Court, Delhi, on February 16 last year, had denied bail to Nair and four others accused in the Delhi Excise Policy case. The others to whom bail was denied by the Rouse Avenue Court are Sameer Mahendru, Abhishek Boinpally, Sarath Chandra Reddy, and Benoy Babu. Nair was later granted two weeks interim bail by the Delhi Court on health grounds. Vijay Nair was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on November 13, 2022. And was later arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on the allegations of giving undue favours to license holders, the waiving or reduction of license fees, and the extension of licenses without the requisite approval from competent authorities...////...