Court seeks Enforcement Directorate’s response as bail plea to be heard on April 29
April 23, 2026: Vinesh Chandel, director and co-founder of I-PAC, has approached the Patiala House Court seeking regular bail in a money laundering case. Additional Sessions Judge Dhirendra Rana has issued notice on the plea and directed the Enforcement Directorate to file its response. The matter is scheduled for hearing on April 29, following the conclusion of Chandel’s 10-day ED custody on April 23.
In its earlier order, the court had observed that the ED complied with statutory provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act during the arrest. It noted that all required documents, including the arrest order and grounds of arrest, were provided to Chandel and forwarded to the adjudicating authority, ensuring adherence to procedural safeguards.
The ED has alleged that Chandel was involved in routing funds through informal channels such as hawala and conducting transactions outside the formal banking system. It also flagged inconsistencies in statements and claimed that certain electronic records were deleted during the investigation. The court had earlier granted custody citing the need for custodial interrogation to trace proceeds of crime and examine potential evidence tampering.