The Supreme Court on Thursday extended the interim bail granted to former Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik by three months on grounds of his health condition. The top court on August 11 had granted him interim bail on the same grounds.
The bail order was granted on medical reasons, not on merits, according to a panel of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi, Bar and Bench reported.
"He is in hospital for kidney disease and ailments. Let counter affidavit be filed to the main petition within 5 weeks and rejoinder and thereafter in 3 weeks. List after 10 weeks. Bail granted. We are passing the order strictly on medical conditions and have not entered merits," the order was quoted by Bar and Bench in its report.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Malik on suspicion of paying less than market value for certain property.
Malik had petitioned for ordinary bail after a special PMLA court took cognizance of the chargesheet in May 2022. Malik had petitioned the High Court after a Mumbai special court denied his bail application in the case on November 30, 2022.