On Monday (April 4, 2022), Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik's judicial imprisonment in a case involving Dawood Ibrahim was prolonged to April 18.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the NCP leader on February 23 in connection with a money-laundering investigation involving the fugitive criminal and his associates. The NCP leader was detained by the ED until March 7, after which he was sent to judicial custody until March 21.
Malik was brought before a special court on March 21 to hear charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and his judicial custody was extended until April 4 by Special Judge RN Rokade. The judge had also granted his request for a bed, mattress, and chair in jail, but warned him not to abuse the privilege.
Malik had moved to the Supreme Court on April 2 to overturn a Bombay High Court ruling that had denied his interim application for immediate release in a money laundering case.
Malik had challenged the March 15 ruling of the high court's division bench, which had denied the motion, claiming that just because the special PMLA court's order remanding him in detention is not in his favour does not make it illegal or improper.
Malik filed a habeas corpus petition at the high court after the Enforcement Directorate arrested him under the PMLA's provisions, saying that his arrest and subsequent remands were unconstitutional.
Malik's counsel had argued before the PMLA court and vigorously opposed the ED's motion for the minister's custody, according to the high court.
The federal agency has accused Malik of being a part of a criminal plot to seize a property in Mumbai's Kurla neighbourhood, which is currently valued at Rs 300 crore and rightly belongs to one Munira Plumber.
Malik, on the other hand, had argued in front of the high court that he had purchased the land in a legal transaction three decades ago, and Plumber has since changed her mind.