NEW DELHI: In a setback to senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, and former Maharashtra Minister, Nawab Malik, the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to consider his plea for urgent hearing on his bail application.
The top court fixed the matter for hearing in July second week in connection with the money laundering case lodged against him.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and M M Sundresh asked Malik to approach the Bombay High Court for relief early hearing in the case.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal sought urgent hearing in the matter, referring to his poor condition. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju appeared for the Enforcement Directorate.
The bench, however, said, "We can only say decide the application. We cannot bypass on the grounds".
Malik had moved the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2005.
The ED had arrested the former state minister on February 24, 2022 in connection with a money laundering case over an alleged land deal concerning an aide of global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. He has been under custody and has been lodged at Arthur Road Jail since then.
A Special Court in Mumbai in November, 2022, had rejected his bail application in the money laundering case arising out activities in 1999.
The ED had also filed a chargesheet against Malik over the monetary transactions in the land deal with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s sister, Haseena Parkar, through her driver Salim Patel.
