Vijay Aggarwal denied bail in London sexual assault case before 2027 trial

A UK court refused bail to criminal lawyer Vijay Aggarwal in a sexual assault case. The ruling keeps him in custody as prosecutors argue he could abscond before the 2027 trial.Image used for representational purposes onlyCriminal lawyer Vijay Aggarwal, who was arrested in London last month on sexual assault charges, was denied bail by a UK court on Wednesday. Southwark Crown Court ruled that Aggarwal posed a flight risk and could fail to appear for his trial, which is scheduled for March 2027.Aggarwal, 57, appeared before Justice John Milne on the sexual assault charge. His assistant, Manpreet Kaur, 41, who is charged with two counts of intentionally encouraging or assisting sexual assault, was due to attend the hearing by videolink, but a prison administrative error meant she could not appear, delaying the formal arraignment of both accused.During the hearing, the Crown Prosecution Service strongly opposed bail for Aggarwal, citing the serious nature of the allegations. His barrister, Sasha Wass, described her client as a man of "good character" who has been held at Wandsworth prison in south-west London for over a month.Aggarwal, who has represented fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi in fraud and money laundering proceedings, and Kaur were arrested at a property on Brick Street in London's Mayfair area on August 11 over alleged sexual offences on May 26 and August 9. While Aggarwal has been charged with four counts of sexual assault, Kaur was charged with two counts of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an either way offence, namely sexual assault. At the time of the arrests last month, the Metropolitan Police said: "Two women who reported the sexual assaults continue to be supported by specialist officers."The property at 29 Brick Street is listed online as a "Mayfair Residence Townhouse" made up of multi-storey luxury apartments available for rent. The court on Wednesday refused Aggarwal bail, while the formal arraignment of both accused was put off after Kaur failed to attend because of an administrative error. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 23, 2026 18:08 IST