Supreme Court agrees to consider hearing Nawab Malik's plea seeking release from prison

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to consider listing for hearing Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik's plea seeking immediate release from prison in a money laundering case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana asked senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for the jailed leader who sought urgent listing of his plea, to provide documents.

"Please give the papers," said the bench, which also comprised Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli.

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act came into being in 2005 and the minister has been accused under the statute for the alleged offences committed prior to 2000, Sibal said.

Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate over a property deal allegedly linked to the aides of gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Soon after his arrest, the minister had filed a habeas corpus plea in the high court, challenging his arrest and the remand orders.

He was charged and placed under arrest under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after several hours of grilling. One of the charges the ED is investigating against Malik — initially leveled by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis — is a property deal that Malik had entered into.

There are allegations that the property was allegedly bought by Malik from an aide of Dawood Ibrahim at a price lower than its prevailing market rate. A prime property of 2.80 acre on L B S Marg in Kurla was bought by Solidus Investment Private Limited for a meagre ₹30 lakh. The signatory on the deal was Faraz Malik, the son of Nawab Malik.

Malik held ministries of skills development and minority affairs in the state government, led by Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray. He is also the guardian minister of the Parbhani and the Gondia districts.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP has decided to distribute the portfolios held by Malik to other ministers of the party, according to senior leaders in the party.

The NCP has, however, decided not to ask Malik to tender his resignation as demanded by the opposition BJP.

(with inputs from PTI)