A Delhi court on Friday remanded AAP MLA Naresh Balyan to seven days of police custody in a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA). Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court granted the police’s request for custody until December 13 to investigate Balyan’s alleged involvement in an organized crime conspiracy.
Special Public Prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh argued for a 10-day remand, citing the need to uncover a broader criminal network tied to the alleged crime syndicate led by gangster Kapil Sangwan. Balyan was brought to court after the expiry of his one-day judicial custody.
Earlier, the Dwarka Court had dismissed the police’s plea for extended custody, with Additional Sessions Judge Vandana Jain criticizing the prosecution’s approach. “This is a sheer waste of my time,” she remarked, questioning the necessity of presenting the case at her court rather than the MP/MLA court.
Balyan, the legislator from Uttam Nagar, was arrested on December 4 under allegations of organized crime. His detention follows a fresh FIR lodged in August, invoking MCOCA. This comes shortly after he secured bail in a separate extortion case filed last year but was re-arrested on the court premises.
The arrest has stirred political tensions, with AAP accusing the BJP of leveraging central agencies to target its leaders, terming it a case of political vendetta.
Read Also;