The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim bail to The Hindu journalist Mahesh Langa, who was arrested in October last year in connection with a money laundering case. As a condition of bail, the Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi restrained Langa from writing any articles related to the allegations against him. Langa has been languishing in Sabarmati jail since over 14 months. He was arrested in October 2024
The Court has also directed the special court to conduct the trial on a day-to-day basis for recording the statements of the nine remaining witnesses. Langa has been ordered to extend full cooperation with the proceedings and seek no adjournment on the ground that his petition seeking quashing of the case is pending. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been directed to file a status report on compliance with these directions. The matter has been listed for further consideration on January 6.
Langa was arrested by the Gujarat Police last year in a case involving allegations of Goods and Services Tax (GST) fraud and was subsequently booked in multiple cases. The Enforcement Directorate later registered a case against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Langa, sought bail in the money laundering case, while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta strongly opposed the plea. Mehta alleged that Langa had extorted money, claiming that threats were made to publish adverse material if payments were not made. “A journalist is found to be extorting money… We want to file an additional counter,” Mehta told the Court.
Responding sharply, Sibal objected to the move, stating that the ED was seeking to change its stand. He argued that allegations of a ₹68 crore fraud were exaggerated, asserting that “it is not even ₹68 lakh.” Sibal further pointed out that no chargesheet had been filed in the predicate offence forming the basis of the PMLA case. “I have been in custody since October 2024. For what offence? It is not murder,” he submitted, calling allegations of influencing witnesses “shocking”.
Sibal also alleged that crucial documents had not been furnished to the defence, stating that there was no supplementary complaint and that the prosecution could not “have it both ways”.
Taking note of the fact that only nine witnesses remain to be examined, the Court granted interim bail. During a brief exchange after the order, Mehta reiterated the allegation of extortion, to which Sibal responded by suggesting that industrialists were targeting journalists. Mehta denied any political motive, stating that the prosecution was acting purely in a professional capacity. When the exchange escalated, the CJI intervened, stressing that the trial must not be delayed and cautioning Langa against misusing his position as a journalist. Sibal responded that any such violation would be grounds for cancellation of bail.
The Gujarat High Court had denied bail to Langa following which he had approached the Supreme Court.
Also Read: Journalist Mahesh Langa Granted Bail, Remains in Custody for Separate Case https://www.vibesofindia.com/journalist-mahesh-langa-granted-bail-remains-in-custody-for-separate-case/
