A Delhi court has dismissed the bail plea of Christian Michel, the British national accused of acting as a middleman in the ₹3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam.
Michel, extradited from the UAE in December 2018, argued that he had already served the maximum sentence of seven years for the offences he was extradited for, making him eligible for statutory bail. His counsel also sought to count 123 days of pre-extradition detention in the UAE towards his total custody period.
Special Judge Sanjay Jindal rejected the plea, noting that Michel also faces charges under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code, forgery of valuable security, an offence punishable with life imprisonment. This, the court said, disqualifies him from relief under Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows release for undertrials who have served half of the maximum prescribed sentence, except in cases involving death or life terms.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) strongly opposed his release, highlighting that the Supreme Court had previously ruled Section 436A CrPC inapplicable to him due to the serious forgery charge.
The court stated that whether Section 467 IPC applies can only be determined at the charge-framing stage and scheduled the next hearing for September 12.
Michel is accused of multiple offences, including corruption, conspiracy, and money laundering, linked to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland. He has remained in Tihar Jail since his 2018 extradition, following arrests by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).&nbsp;

Delhi court rejects plea in VVIP chopper scam, cites life term forgery charge

Court Denies Bail to Christian Michel

Delhi court rejects plea in VVIP chopper scam, cites life term forgery charge

August 8, 2025 | 21:56 IST