Former Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik, who was arrested on charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case allegedly linked to fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates, was discharged from a Mumbai hospital on Monday (August 14).
He walked out three days after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail for two months on medical grounds in a money laundering case.
One-and-a-half years since his arrest, Malik was discharged from the hospital in suburban Kurla, where he was undergoing treatment while being in judicial custody, at around 8 pm, his lawyers said.
A special court set his bail conditions earlier in the day, in which he was barred from talking to the media.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the former state minister in February 2022 under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case allegedly linked to fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates.
Malik was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mumbai since May 2022 for a kidney-related ailment.
He was granted release by the special court on a cash bond of Rs 50,000.
The other conditions imposed by the special court are that he shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promises to any persons/witnesses acquainted with the facts of the case.
Malik was also directed to handover his original passport to the ED which is probing the case.
Malik shall not indulge in any criminal activities and provide all his details in respect of medical examination to the central agency, said the special court.
The Supreme Court had on Friday granted Malik interim bail for two months on medical grounds.
"We are passing the order strictly on medical conditions and have not entered into the merits of the case," the bench had said while granting the interim bail.
Malik had sought relief from the Bombay 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.
Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule hailed the interim bail granted to Malik as the "victory of truth".
“I came here to receive my brother. Satyamev Jayate!” Sule said outside the hospital, where Malik was admitted.
“I have always stressed that the arrest of Nawab Malik or former home minister Anil Deshmukh or Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut (both were arrested earlier and are now out on bail) was unfortunate. Finally, we got justice through the court,” Sule said.
(With PTI inputs)
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