The Bombay High Court granted two months of interim bail on Monday to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, citing medical grounds. Goyal is under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.
According to reports, Justice N.J. Jamadar of the single-judge bench ordered Goyal to pay a surety of 1 lakh rupees and barred him from leaving Mumbai without prior permission from the trial court.
"The applicant (Goyal) is granted interim bail for a period of two months. He must abide by all imposed conditions," the court said. The high court also directed Goyal to surrender his passport.
The 75-year-old Goyal sought interim bail on medical and humanitarian grounds, stating that both he and his wife, Anita Goyal, are battling cancer.
A special court had denied bail to Goyal in February but allowed him admission to a private hospital of his choice for medical treatment. Goyal then appealed to the high court, seeking bail on merits and interim bail for medical reasons.
Goyal's lawyer, Harish Salve, urged the court to consider the case on humanitarian grounds.
However, ED lawyer Hiten Venegaonkar opposed bail, stating the agency had no objection to extending Goyal's hospitalization. Venegaonkar argued that the court could extend Goyal's hospital stay for four weeks and then request a fresh medical report to assess his condition.Salve countered that Goyal's mental health, in addition to his deteriorating physical health, was also a concern.
The ED arrested Goyal in September 2023 on allegations of money laundering and diverting loans worth 538.62 crore rupees given to Jet Airways by Canara Bank.