Nawab Malik’s Discharge Plea Rejected; Court to Frame Charges on 18 November
Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik has suffered a major setback in the money-laundering case against him. A special PMLA court has dismissed the discharge application filed by Malik and his company. The court has directed that all accused must remain present during the charge-framing process on 18 November. Following this order, Malik is required to appear before the court on Tuesday.
The discharge plea was filed by Malik’s company, Malik Infrastructure, which argued that the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) case was based on assumptions. The company claimed that the alleged illegal land deal could not have taken place because the company did not even exist at that time.
Rejecting these arguments, the court said there is sufficient prima facie evidence in the case. According to the court, the initial investigation shows that Nawab Malik, along with individuals linked to the D-Company including Haseena Parkar, Salim Patel, and accused Sardar Khan illegally took possession of a valuable plot in Kurla, Mumbai, and attempted to legitimise it through money laundering. The plot is alleged to involve ₹16 crore of proceeds of crime.
Malik had requested the court to postpone the process for six weeks, stating that his petition in the Bombay High Court was expected to be heard soon. His lawyer, Taraq Sayed, claimed that ED had not submitted several documents that could favour the accused, and that presenting all documents would remove the need to frame charges.
However, Special Public Prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves argued that the High Court had not granted any stay, and therefore the lower court proceedings could not be halted. The court accepted ED’s submissions and said that, as per Supreme Court and High Court directions, cases involving MPs and MLAs must be disposed of promptly. Hence, the court cannot delay the matter on its own.
The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Nawab Malik in February 2022. He is accused of unlawfully acquiring nearly three acres of land in Kurla, Mumbai, with the help of Haseena Parkar, sister of Dawood Ibrahim. The deal is said to involve ₹16 crore in illicit funds, and the use of forged documents has also been alleged. Two companies linked to Malik are co-accused. Although the proceedings have been ongoing since May 2022, formal charges had not been framed until now. With the court’s latest order, charges will be officially framed against all accused on 18 November.