The Supreme Court has granted bail to Zeeshan Haider and Daud Nasir, who were arrested in November 2023 over their involvement in the Delhi Waqf Board money laundering case. The decision came after acknowledging their extended pre-trial detention and the slow pace of legal proceedings.
Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih highlighted the substantial delays in the case, noting that the charges against the defendants had not yet been framed despite their incarceration exceeding a year. The court observed, “Appellants have been in custody for approximately one year and one month. Charges have not been framed in the complaint filed under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).”
The bench further detailed the complexity of the case, citing 29 witnesses and over 4,000 pages of documents involved, which contributed to their decision to grant bail. “The trial is not likely to commence soon as even charges have not been framed,” the Justices added, referencing a prior judgement that supported their decision to release the appellants on bail.
Under the terms set by the Supreme Court, Haider and Nasir are required to complete bail formalities before a special court within a week and must adhere to specific undertakings they had previously filed with the court. These undertakings are now integral to their bail conditions, ensuring they do not cause further delays in the trial.
The case centers around alleged irregularities in recruitment processes and financial mismanagement under the tenure of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, the former chairperson of the Delhi Waqf Board, who is also implicated in the scandal. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Khan and his associates, including Haider and Nasir, of laundering approximately Rs 36 crore, purportedly used to acquire immovable properties illicitly.
This high-profile case has seen multiple legal developments, including a recent instance where a trial court granted relief to Khan by refusing to acknowledge a chargesheet against him, a decision against which the ED has appealed.
