Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, arrested last month in connection with a money laundering case linked to fugitive terrorist Dawood Inbrahim, will remain in jail till April 4, a special court for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Mumbai said today. Nawab Malik was produced before the PMLA court after his judicial remand ended today.
His lawyer, Taraq Sayyed, had filed an application before the court demanding his release. Asking the Special Public Prosecutor to file a response to Malik's request for home-cooked food in jail, the court passed an interim order, allowing food to be brought to the minister from his home until the next hearing. It has also asked the Chief Medical Officer to file a report in this regard.
Malik's lawyer has also sought fresh medical reports and told the court that the minister is suffering from certain medical conditions. No opposition came from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), who said an appropriate order may be passed in line with the jail manual.
The court ordered that Malik be provided with a bed, a mattress as well as a chair for sitting until further orders, "subject to condition that the accused shall not misuse the permission granted to him". "If the jail officials notice that the accused is misusing the permission so granted to him, the permission granted shall stand cancelled forthwith. Inform jail authorities accordingly," the judge said.
Nawab Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on allegations that he had purchased property from Dawood Ibrahim for an amount of Rs 20 lakh, through a company controlled by him. The amount paid for the property was much lower than its market value.
Malik was picked up from his Mumbai home on February 23 for interrogation after he was made to sign the summons issued by the ED. After hours of questioning, Malik was arrested and produced before the special PMLA court.
The ED had stated that an FIR was registered by the National Investigation Agency on February 3, based on which the financial probe agency's FIR was registered on February 14.
(With inputs from agencies)