Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail to Journalist Mahesh Langa with Strict Conditions

The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim bail to senior journalist Mahesh Langa in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, allowed interim relief while laying down strict conditions. As part of the bail terms, Langa has been restrained from publishing or writing any article related to the allegations against him.

The Court also directed the trial court to conduct day-to-day hearings to record statements of the remaining nine witnesses in the case. Langa has been asked to fully cooperate with the proceedings and not seek any adjournment on the ground that his petition challenging the case is pending.

The Bench further asked the Enforcement Directorate to submit a status report confirming compliance with these directions. The matter has been listed for further hearing on January 6, 2026.

Langa was arrested last year by the Gujarat Police in connection with alleged Goods and Services Tax (GST) fraud. Following this, the ED registered a case against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He was also named in other related cases.

During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for Langa and argued that the PMLA case was weak as no chargesheet had been filed in the main offence. He also stated that several documents had not been shared with the defence and questioned the claim that Langa was influencing witnesses.

On the other hand, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the bail plea and alleged that Langa had misused his position as a journalist to extort money. These allegations were strongly disputed by Sibal, who described the claims as exaggerated and misleading.

Taking note that only a few witnesses remain to be examined, the Supreme Court granted interim bail but made it clear that the trial should proceed without delay. The Court also observed that any misuse of liberty could lead to cancellation of bail.

Earlier, the Gujarat High Court had refused to grant bail to Langa on July 31.