I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel gets bail after West Bengal Assembly polls conclude

Days ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, a Delhi court sent political consultancy firm I-PAC co-founder and director Vinesh Chandel to 14-day judicial custody in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in the state.

Additional Sessions Judge Deepti Devesh allowed the Enforcement Directorate's plea seeking the accused's judicial custody. He was produced on completion of his 10-day ED custody.

ED's reasoning was that he was actively involved in processes and activities connected with the generation, diversion and possession of proceeds of crime worth several crores.

However, on Thursday a Delhi court granted bail to Chandel, just after states elections concluded, while Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal noted that the ED has not opposed the bail plea.

While addressing a rally before polls, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in an apparent reference to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arresting Vinesh Chandel, she alleged that ahead of the elections, "instructions have been given to arrest booth agents so that no one can sit at polling stations".

"Orders are being given to arrest TMC workers. The ED and the CBI are conducting raids at midnight. But this will not be an easy task. Because if you arrest one, lakhs will come out," she said.

"A parallel machinery has to be prepared. If one is arrested, another will take his place. We will continue to fight. It is not so easy to control West Bengal," Banerjee had stated.

Elections to the 294-member assembly were held in two phases on April 23 and 29, and the votes will be counted on May 4.

About I-PAC

Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) is a political consultancy in India. Its co founder and director Vinesh Chandel was arrested on April 13.

I-PAC was founded in 2013 by Prashant Kishor and the consultancy has managed campaigns for major political parties like TMC.

(With PTI inputs)