The Supreme Court on Thursday extended by six months the interim bail of former Maharashtra minister and NCP (National Congress Party) leader Nawab Malik in a money laundering case.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal extended the medical bail previously awarded to Malik, as the Enforcement Directorate’s Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, expressed no objection to the extension.
Last year on October 12, the apex court had already extended Malik’s interim bail by three months in the same case. Malik had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision on July 13, 2023, which had denied him bail on medical grounds in connection with the Enforcement Directorate’s ongoing investigation.
Highlighting Malik’s health condition, the Supreme Court had earlier acknowledged his kidney ailment, emphasizing that there was no improvement since August 11 of the previous year when he was initially granted a two-month interim bail.
The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Malik in February 2022, linking him to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his associates.
Malik, citing chronic kidney disease and various other ailments, sought relief from the high court and also applied for bail on merit.
In response to Malik’s plea, the high court had decided to hear his bail application on merit after a two-week interval. The Enforcement Directorate’s case against Malik stems from an FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Dawood Ibrahim, designated as a global terrorist and a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, and his associates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.