Delhi Court Extends AAP MLA Naresh Balyan's Police Custody by One Day in Extortion Case

New Delhi: A court here on Tuesday extended the police custody of AAP MLA Naresh Balyan by a day in an extortion case lodged last year.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Paras Dalal passed the order on an application filed by the Delhi Police, seeking the custody of the legislator from Delhi's Uttam Nagar Assembly segment for two more days.

The court also sought the police's response to a bail application filed by Balyan. It issued notice to the Delhi Police and directed it to file its response by Wednesday when Balyan will be produced before the court.

The police claimed that Balyan was non-cooperative during the investigation.

Police said that custodial interrogation of Balyan was required to unearth the conspiracy regarding the alleged involvement of the other persons in the "extortion syndicate".

Balyan's counsel, however, termed the arrest "illegal" and "political". The counsel stated that the grounds of arrest were not provided to the accused in writing at the time of the arrest.

Balyan was arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Saturday in relation to an audio clip of a conversation purportedly between the MLA and a gangster.