The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail on medical grounds to former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in a money laundering case.
A bench of justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma took note of the submissions of a counsel, appearing for Malik, that he was suffering from various ailments. The top court said medical bail to Mailk will be valid till disposal of the regular bail plea before the Bombay High Court.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, did not oppose the grant of bail and said the interim medical bail may be made permanent.
The ED had arrested Malik in February 2022 in the case allegedly linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his associates. Malik had sought relief from the high court, claiming he was suffering from a chronic kidney disease apart from various other ailments. He also sought bail on merit.
The ED's case against Malik is based on an FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against 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.