Maha minister Nawab Malik admitted to hospital, condition 'serious', his lawyer tells court
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, arrested by the ED in a money laundering case, was admitted to hospital on Monday after he complained of fever and diarrhoea, his lawyer told a special court here and claimed that Malik's health had deteriorated and he was in a "serious" condition.
Last week, Malik (62), who was lodged in the Arthur Road jail here, had sought interim bail on medical ground from the special court for trial of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs.
When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, Malik's lawyer Kushal Mor told the court that when the NCP leader's family members went to give him home food, they were told that he was shifted to the state-run J J Hospital.
Mor also told the court that Malik was ill since the last three days and that his condition has deteriorated and is "serious".
The lawyer prayed that Malik be shifted to a private hospital, saying that several medical test facilities are not available at the J J Hospital.
Special judge R N Rokade expressed concern over the prison authorities not informing the court about Malik's condition and that he was taken to hospital.
The judge sought a report from the hospital and posted the matter for hearing on May 5.
Malik had sought interim bail for six weeks on medical grounds, citing multiple illnesses, including kidney ailments and swelling in legs.
The minister was arrested on February 23 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides, under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He is currently in judicial custody.
The ED's case is based on an FIR filed recently by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Dawood Ibrahim and others. The NIA had filed its criminal complaint under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The ED had recently filed an over 5,000-page charge sheet in the case against Malik.
The NCP leader had denied all charges levelled against him and moved the Supreme Court against an order of the Bombay HC, which had rejected his interim application seeking immediate release from jail.
The Supreme Court had also refused to grant him any relief, noting the probe into the case is at a nascent stage.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
