India, Aug. 2 -- A Delhi court on Friday discharged former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan in an extortion case linked to absconding UK-based gangster Kapil Sangwan, observing that in the absence of any direct evidence, police probe was conducted on the assumption that "suspects were the culprits".

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal of Rouse Avenue courts, in an order delivered on Friday and released on Saturday, pulled up the prosecution for "losing crucial time" and "failing to collect direct evidence", showing the former legislator's links with the gangster.

Balyan will not walk out of jail, as he is in judicial custody in a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The former MLA from U...