SC adjourns hearing of Nawab Malik's plea for bail on medical grounds in money laundering case

The hearing on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik's appeal against the Bombay High Court's decision to deny him bail due to health reasons in connection with a money laundering investigation being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was adjourned by the Supreme Court on Monday for one week.

A bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi deferred the matter due to the unavailability of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is representing NCP leader Malik. Malik was arrested in February 2022 by the ED in the case allegedly linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his associates.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader is in judicial custody and currently undergoing treatment in a private hospital here. The High Court on July 13 had refused to grant Malik bail on medical grounds. Malik had sought relief from the HC, claiming he was suffering from a chronic kidney disease apart from various other ailments. He also sought bail on merit.

The high court had said it would hear his plea seeking bail on merit after two weeks. ED's case against Malik is based on an FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency (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.