Maharashtra state Cabinet minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 23 February, requested the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, 9 March, to release him from custody, news agency PTI reported.
Arguing on his behalf, Malik's lawyer Amit Desai told the court, "The police authorities, on fanciful grounds, cannot disgrace any disliked face under the cloud of his or her involvement in an offence of organised crime. This is my submission."
He also said that the ownership of the property being investigated by the ED was bought by Malik more than 20 years ago.
Desai added that Malik was now being made to suffer because the original owner of the property, Munira Plumber, had changed her mind regarding granting the power of attorney for the property's sale, reported PTI.
"It was a bonafide sale transaction. But, now I must spend the next five years in jail because Munira says she didn't give the power of attorney which has been registered 22 years later," Desai explained on behalf of Malik.
According to the ED's report, Malik had attempted to usurp Plumber's property, which is presently valued at around Rs 300 crore, in the Kurla locality of east Mumbai.
Desai requested the bench, led by Justice PB Varale, to grant his client relief, saying that he had already spent 16 days in jail.
Case Against Malik
Malik had been arrested over a land deal wherein he allegedly bought property from an aide of Dawood Ibrahim at a price lower than the prevailing market rate.
In the special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court where Malik was produced earlier, the ED said that it was investigating a land deal wherein Malik purchased a Rs 3.3 crore property for Rs 50 lakh from Salim Patel, a frontman of Ibrahim’s late sister Haseena Parkar.
The deal allegedly involved two people – Salim Patel and Sardar Shahwali Khan, who was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case. Patel, who had the power of attorney and was under Haseena Parker's authority, had allegedly sold the Kurla property to one of the companies owned by Malik.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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