Interim bail for journalist Mahesh Langa to continue, Supreme Court says

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) said that the interim bail granted to journalist Mahesh Langa in December in a money laundering case will continue to operate even as the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) informed the court about the commencement of trial in the case.

Appearing before a Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, stated that the trial was likely to be concluded in three months. He successfully urged the top court to defer the hearing for three months.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mr. Langa, said his client had cooperated with the trial, and witnesses had been examined.

“You continue to cooperate. It will be over,” Chief Justice Kant addressed Mr. Langa’s side.

The chargesheet in the case refers to only an amount of ₹68 lakh, Mr. Sibal said. But Mr. Mehta stated it was not true. Mr. Sibal said in an aside that “nowadays governments can go beyond the chargesheet”.

“We had seen something [in the case], that is why we gave bail… Let the interim bail continue,” the CJI remarked.

On December 15, while granting Mr. Langa the interim relief, the Bench had directed the special court hearing the case to take it up on a day-to-day basis for consideration of the charge and recording the statements of witnesses. The top court had ordered both Mr. Langa and the ED to cooperate with the trial and not take any adjournments.

The Gujarat Police had registered First Information Reports (FIRs) in Rajkot and Ahmedabad on the basis of complaints filed by Superintendents of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), Anti-Evasion Section. The allegations in the two cases refer to using fraudulent means to obtain GST registration to receive and transfer bogus input tax credit.