Criminal lawyer Vijay Aggarwal, arrested in London last month on charges of sexual assault, was on Wednesday denied bail by a UK court due to the seriousness of the allegations.
Aggarwal, who has represented fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi in fraud and money laundering proceedings, appeared before Justice John Milne at Southwark Crown Court charged with 13 counts under the UK’s Serious Crime Act and Modern Slavery Act.
In details that emerged in court, the 57-year-old Delhi advocate is accused of non-consensual “sexual touching” of a female and facilitating the travel of women with a “view to exploitation” – allegations described by the judge as “deeply disturbing”. “These are very serious allegations and there is a significant risk of (the accused) not attending at trial (if granted bail),” said Justice Milne. The judge accepted the defence argument that there was no significant risk of Aggarwal committing further offences, but ruled that he “cannot accede to the request for bail” as there is a risk that he would “leave the country to avoid trial” – which has been set for March 15, 2027.
Aggarwal, who watched from the dock clutching a bag of clothes in the hope of being freed on bail, had offered security worth 230,000 pounds – which the court was told was the maximum he could afford to withdraw from his law firm without impacting its day-to-day functioning.
As a native and citizen of India, the judge noted that his family, business and life were based there with no “community ties” in the UK – a country he extensively travelled to recruit despite having no “legitimate basis” for him requiring a PA in London. She referenced the “myriad conditions” akin to house arrest being offered in favour of his bail application, such as sureties amounting to several hundred pounds – including 130,000 pounds by his daughter, who was present in court.
