A special court here on Friday refused to grant temporary bail on medical grounds to Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, but allowed him to get treatment at a private hospital. Judge R N Rokade, assigned to hear matters of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), said Malik’s daughter can remain present during the treatment.
The court also rebuked the prosecuting agency, Enforcement Directorate (ED), for not taking Malik to the doctor who has been treating his condition since the beginning.
Malik on May 6 told the special court here that he was not provided “proper treatment” at a state-run hospital where he was admitted after he complained of fever and diarrhoea. Malik (62) was arrested by the ED on February 23 in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The minister was produced in court on May 6 at the end of his judicial custody, which has now been extended by 14 more days. Malik’s lawyer Kushal Mor had told the court on Monday that the minister was admitted to the state-run JJ Hospital when he complained of fever and diarrhoea.
The lawyer had claimed that Malik’s health had deteriorated and he was in a “serious” condition. Two days later, the senior NCP leader was shifted back to the prison.
Malik’s interim bail plea on medical grounds is pending before the court, and he has also filed a plea seeking treatment in the presence of a doctor of his choice.
The ED’s case is based on an FIR filed recently by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Dawood Ibrahim and others. The NIA had filed its criminal complaint under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The ED had recently filed an over 5,000-page chargesheet in the case against Malik. The NCP leader had denied all charges levelled against him and moved the Supreme Court against an order of the Bombay HC, which had rejected his interim application seeking immediate release from jail.
The Supreme Court had also refused to grant him any relief, noting the probe into the case is at a nascent stage.
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