Bombay HC to pronounce order on Nawab Malik's habeas corpus plea on March 15

MIUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday closed all arguments on the habeas corpus plea filed by NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and said it will pronounce its order on March 15.

Malik, the minority development minister and NCP's chief spokesperson, was arrested by the ED on February 23 in a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.

The minister was initially sent to the ED's custody and subsequently remanded in judicial custody. A bench of Justices PB Varale and SM Modak reserved its order following extensive arguments by both the parties that lasted over three days, and said that the order will be pronounced on Tuesday (March 15).

Malik's counsel, senior advocate Amit Desai, had earlier told the high court that the minister's arrest and the subsequent remands were illegal, and had sought that the arrest be quashed and set aside and as an interim relief, he be released from custody immediately.

Counsels for the ED, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh and advocate Hiten Venegaokar, had informed the court that Malik had been arrested following due procedure and that his remand order issued by a special PMLA court appropriated valid reasons for remanding him to the ED's custody and then to judicial custody.

They had argued that the minister's habeas corpus plea (law writ issued to bring a party before a court or judge) was not maintainable and said that he should instead seek regular bail in the case.