UK court denies bail to lawyer Vijay Aggarwal’s aide in sexual assault case

A London court on Friday rejected the bail application of Manpreet Kaur, an aide to Delhi-based criminal lawyer Vijay Aggarwal, who is facing four charges of sexual assault involving two women in the United Kingdom (UK).

Kaur’s bail application was heard by Judge M Weekes at Southwark Crown Court on September 4. Kaur will remain in custody.

The Court also imposed reporting restrictions on the proceedings. As a result, details of the bail hearing, including the reasons for rejecting the application, cannot be reported at present.

Kaur, who is reportedly Aggarwal’s personal assistant, has been charged with two counts of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of sexual assault offences by him.

The two Indian nationals were arrested on August 11 at a serviced townhouse on Brick Street in Mayfair, where they were reportedly staying. The arrests followed complaints of sexual assault at the property.

Three of the charges against Aggarwal concern alleged incidents involving a woman on August 9. He is accused of intentionally touching her in a sexual manner without her consent, an offence under Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act, 2003.

The fourth charge relates to another alleged sexual assault on May 26.

Aggarwal, 57, and Kaur, 41, appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 13. Both were remanded in custody and their case was sent to Southwark Crown Court. A plea and trial preparation hearing is scheduled for September 10.

Kaur is accused of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of sexual assault on May 26 and August 9. The prosecution case is reportedly that she introduced two women to Aggarwal and invited them to the address after a false job advertisement was posted.

Aggarwal has been representing fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi in extradition proceedings in Belgium. Choksi was arrested there in April 2025 pursuant to an extradition request from India.

Choksi is accused, along with his nephew Nirav Modi and others, of defrauding Punjab National Bank of about ₹13,500 crore. He has denied the allegations.