Delhi excise policy money laundering case: Court grants interim bail to Sameer Mahendru on wife’s health grounds

New Delhi [India]: The Rouse Avenue court on Friday granted two weeks’ interim bail to accused Sameer Mahendru on his wife’s health grounds. He is a charge-sheeted accused in the Delhi Excise policy money laundering case. He sought four weeks of interim bail.

Special judge M K Nagpal granted interim bail to Sameer Mahendru. He has been granted bail on the condition of furnishing bail bonds of Rs 2 lakh and one surety in the like amount.

The court also imposed conditions including that during the interim bail, he shall not leave the limits of Delhi/Delhi NCR unless and until the same is necessary in connection with the treatment of his wife and in case he is required to do so, he shall intimate the investigation officer (IO).

While granting bail to Mahendru, the court noted that his wife was diagnosed to be having a ‘stone’ of a considerable size measuring 23 mm and she has to undergo surgery for removal of her gall bladder and the same is to be performed during hospitalization and under general anesthesia.

“Hence, this court does not doubt that the requirement for the release of the applicant on interim bail to take care of his wife and to be with her during her presurgery check-ups, admission and surgery, and even during her post-operative period to help her in early recovery, is fully justified, ” the court said.

He sought his interim bail for four weeks and has now been moved because his wife is suffering from ‘acute calculus cholecystitis’ in her gall bladder and she has also been advised a ‘Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy’ a surgery for removal of her gall bladder.

It was submitted by his counsel that the above surgery is a major surgery and it has to be performed under general anaesthesia and it can even prove to be life-threatening given the above observations given by the doctor regarding the patient being at ‘high risk’ due to her obesity.

The accused was arrested on August 28, 2022, and his regular bail application was dismissed by this court on February 16, 2023.