A new petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking the revocation of interim bail granted to Nawab Malik, a former Maharashtra minister and member of the NCP Ajit Pawar faction. The plea accuses Malik of misusing his bail conditions by allegedly threatening witnesses in a money laundering case linked to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
Malik, who is currently campaigning for the Maharashtra Assembly elections in the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency, was granted bail by the Supreme Court in July on medical grounds, with specific stipulations pending the outcome of his regular bail application. Despite the medical bail granted for kidney failure, which purportedly required surgery and continuous treatment, the petitioner, Mumbai resident Samson Pathare, claims that Malik has not undergone the necessary medical procedures and is instead actively participating in his election campaign.
The petition highlights serious allegations against Malik, asserting that he has been engaging in activities that compromise the integrity of his trial. “Under the cover of his election campaign, Malik has been settling scores with witnesses and threatening them to alter their testimony,” the petition states, suggesting a blatant disregard for the judicial conditions set forth at the time of his bail.
Malik’s legal troubles began when he was arrested on February 23, 2022, by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Following the acceptance of a chargesheet by a special PMLA court in May 2022, Malik sought regular bail, which was subsequently denied by a Mumbai special court in November 2022.
