New Delhi, Aug. 8 -- A Delhi court has refused to release Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the controversial AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, ruling that he has not yet served the maximum sentence for the charges levelled against him.

Special Judge Sanjay Jindal, in an order dated 7 August, dismissed Michel's application for release under Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The court stated that since Michel faces serious charges under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) - which carries the possibility of life imprisonment - he cannot claim to have completed the maximum period of custody applicable to his case.

Michel, who was extradited from Dubai in December 2018, argued that he had been in j...