Bombay HC refuses bail to former minister Nawab Malik on medical grounds

The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to grant bail on medical grounds to NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in connection with a money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Malik was arrested in February 2022 by the ED in the case allegedly linked to activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his associates. The NCP leader is in judicial custody and currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mumbai.

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Malik had sought bail from the HC on medical grounds, saying he was suffering from a chronic kidney disease apart from various other ailments. He also sought bail on merits.

A single bench of Justice Anuja Prabhudessai rejected Malik’s plea seeking bail on medical grounds. The court said it would hear his plea seeking bail on merits after two weeks.

Malik’s counsel Amit Desai had argued his client’s health was deteriorating since the last eight months and he was in stage 2 to stage 3 of a chronic kidney disease. He urged the court to grant Malik bail considering his health condition and said if he is continued to be kept in such stressful conditions, then it would be fatal.

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Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the ED, opposed the bail and said Malik is already in a hospital of his choice and is receiving medical treatment.

The ED’s case against Malik is based on an FIR filed by the NIA against Dawood Ibrahim, a designated global terrorist and a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, and his associates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

(With agency inputs)