Delhi High Court denies bail to Naresh Balyan in MCOCA case

The Delhi High Court on Monday denied bail to former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan in a case registered under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Justice Manoj Jain passed the order.

Balyan was arrested by Delhi Police's Crime Branch on December 4, 2024.

He is accused of links to an organised crime syndicate allegedly run by absconding gangster Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu, based partly on an audio clip of a mobile conversation allegedly between Balyan and Sangwan.

Notably, on July 31, a Delhi court had closed an extortion case registered by the Delhi Police against Balyan based on the same audio clip.

In that order, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Paras Dalal of the Rouse Avenue Courts held that the prosecution could not produce even an iota of evidence to prove Balyan's culpability.

Senior Advocate Rebecca M John along with advocates Jatan Singh, Vivek Jain, Rohit Kumar, Sadiq Noor and Pravir Singh appeared for Naresh Balyan.

Special Counsel Amit Prasad, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Akhand Pratap Singh with advocates Hritwirk Maurya, Ayodhya Prasad and Utkarsh Singh represented the State.