Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal of Patiala House court approved bail on a bond of Rs. 2 lakh and a surety bond of the same amount. The court noted the Investigation Officer’s statement and the ED’s report that Chandel had cooperated purposefully with the investigation.

The bail conditions include that Chandel must obtain prior court permission before leaving the country, refrain from tampering with evidence, and continue cooperating with the investigation. The detailed order has yet to be published.

Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, together with Advocate Abhishek Mishra, represented Vinesh Chandel.

Earlier on April 28, the court had rejected an interim bail application from Chandel. It held that interim bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cannot be granted routinely and requires compelling, immediate, and exceptional circumstances.

The court emphasised the stringent requirements of Section 45 of the PMLA, stating that interim relief cannot be allowed without urgent grounds. The interim bail application cited humanitarian concerns, including the medical condition of Chandel’s 74-year-old mother, who is reported to have dementia.

However, the court found no evidence of an acute or life-threatening medical emergency demanding his immediate presence. It observed that dementia is a chronic progressive condition and the submitted medical documents-such as MRI reports and records indicating hypertension, hypovitaminosis-D, dyslipidemia, fatty liver, and osteoporosis-did not demonstrate urgency. No recent medical documents were provided to substantiate claims of sudden deterioration.

The court also noted that other family members, including Chandel’s wife and brother, were available to provide care, and unsupported assertions that they could not provide adequate care were insufficient to justify bail. Relief on humanitarian grounds must be based on clear, proximate, and verifiable necessity, not general hardship.

Regarding the case allegations, the court highlighted that it involves serious economic offences under the PMLA, specifically the laundering of proceeds of crime through structured financial transactions, including the splitting of receipts into accounted and unaccounted cash components. It stated that such allegations require a cautious approach to bail matters.

Concluding that Chandel failed to meet the high threshold for interim bail, the court dismissed his application on April 28.

Previously, on April 23, 2026, a court remanded Vinesh Chandel to 14 days’ judicial custody after his arrest in connection with investigations into money laundering related to an alleged case of coal pilferage.