The Supreme Court
on Thursday extended by six months the interim bail of former Maharashtra minister
Nawab Malik in a money laundering case.
A bench of
Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal extended the medical bail granted to
Malik after Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement
Directorate, said the probe agency has no objection to it.
On October 12
last year, the top court extended by three months the interim bail of Malik in
the case.
Malik had moved
the top court against the Bombay High Court's July 13, 2023, order denying him
bail on medical grounds in the case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate
(ED).
The top court had
earlier noted that Malik is suffering from kidney ailment and his condition has
not improved since August 11 last year when he was granted interim bail for two
months.
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 high court
had said it will hear his plea seeking bail on merit after two weeks.
The 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.