1 week ago
Supreme Court Seeks Police Reply on Balyan’s MCOCA Bail Plea
Naresh Balyan is a former politician accused of helping a crime syndicate.
He asked the Supreme Court to release him on bail.
The Supreme Court has agreed to examine his request.
It asked the Delhi Police to respond within four weeks.
Balyan was arrested in December 2024 under a law used in organised-crime cases.
The Delhi High Court had earlier refused to grant him bail.
The High Court said a conversation with gangster Kapil Sangwan suggested a criminal connection.
Balyan says he was a victim and that the case is politically motivated, but the final Supreme Court decision has not yet been reported.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear former AAP MLA Naresh Balyan’s challenge to the denial of bail in an MCOCA case.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought a response from the Delhi Police within four weeks.
Balyan was arrested on December 4, 2024, after a trial court granted him bail in a separate extortion case.
The Delhi High Court said conversations between Balyan and gangster Kapil Sangwan indicated an “active criminal nexus.”
Balyan denies the allegations, while the High Court cited incriminating material and differing reports of 16 or 17 FIRs against the alleged syndicate.
- Who
- Former Aam Aadmi Party MLA Naresh Balyan, the Supreme Court of India, the Delhi Police, and gangster Kapil Sangwan.
- What
- The Supreme Court agreed to hear Balyan’s plea challenging the denial of bail in a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act case.
- Where
- The proceedings are before the Supreme Court of India after decisions by a trial court and the Delhi High Court in Delhi.
- When
- The plea was heard on Monday; Balyan was arrested on December 4, 2024, and the trial court denied bail on May 27, 2025.
- Why
- Balyan is seeking bail and says there is no evidence against him, while investigators and the High Court allege a connection to an organised-crime syndicate.
Balyan’s Arguments
Prosecution and High Court Findings
Evidence and criminal connection
Balyan’s Arguments
Balyan says there is “no shred of evidence” against him and calls the case completely frivolous.
Prosecution and High Court Findings
The High Court said conversations between Balyan and Kapil Sangwan, along with other incriminating material, indicated an active criminal nexus.
Victim or associate
Balyan’s Arguments
Balyan says he was a victim, had complained against Sangwan, and was portrayed as an associate because of political vendetta.
Prosecution and High Court Findings
The High Court said his earlier complaints could not negate the investigating agency’s material and described the political-vendetta claim as unsubstantiated.
Syndicate activity
Balyan’s Arguments
Balyan disputes the allegation that he facilitated or closely associated with Sangwan’s syndicate.
Prosecution and High Court Findings
The High Court said the case involved continuing unlawful activity; the prosecution cited multiple FIRs and alleged that the syndicate accumulated substantial illegal wealth.
Key facts
- Accused
- Naresh Balyan, former Aam Aadmi Party MLA
- Law involved
- Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, also known as MCOCA
- Arrest date
- December 4, 2024
- Supreme Court action
- The Delhi Police must respond within four weeks
- High Court decision
- Bail was denied on August 3
- Alleged syndicate
- A syndicate allegedly run by gangster Kapil Sangwan
- FIR discrepancy
- The High Court referred to 17 FIRs, while the prosecution earlier cited 16 FIRs
Quotes
Delhi High Court
The court that rejected Balyan’s bail plea
“Merely because the appellant (Balyan) had lodged complaints against Kapil Sangwan in past, the material collected by the investigating agency cannot be negated and annulled, particularly when the conversation between him and Kapil Sangwan demonstrates an active criminal nexus between the two.”
theprint.in









