The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an extension of the interim medical bail granted to former Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik by six months in connection with a money-laundering case.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal passed the order and directed the matter to be listed again after six months.
The Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), did not object to the request.
The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Malik had purchased certain property at a rate lower than market value. Malik filed for a regular bail plea after a special PMLA court took cognisance of the chargesheet in May 2022.
The special court rejected his bail plea on November 30, 2022.
After that, he moved to the High Court which also rejected his plea for interim medical bail in July 2023.
In August 2023, the apex court granted interim bail to Malik for two months as Malik was in the hospital to treat kidney disease and related ailments. The court had clarified that the bail was granted strictly given Malik's medical condition and not on merits. The bail was later extended by three months in October 2023.
Malik was arrested on February 23 of last year in connection with a money laundering case linked to fugitive Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. Malik allegedly connived with Ibrahim's sister, Haseena Parker, and other members of the Dawood gang to usurp a property in Mumbai's Kurla between 1999 and 2006. It has been alleged that the money Malik paid to Parker was used in terror funding.
Malik has been charged under Sections 3 and 4 of the PMLA, which are to be read with Sections 70, 44, and 45 of the Act for money laundering. The ED has drafted charges against his tow alleged companies, Solidus Investments Private Limited and Malik Infrastructure. Sardar Khan has also been named an accused in the same case.