New Delhi, 16 July. In a big but limited relief to Al-Falah University and Al-Falah Group Chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, arrested in a money laundering case, the Delhi High Court has granted him three days’ custodial parole to meet his cancer-stricken wife. However, the court refused to grant him interim bail citing the seriousness of the case and the stringent provisions applicable under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Delhi High Court has allowed Siddiqui to meet his wife Usama Akhtar in police custody for a fixed period of time on July 21, 23 and 25. His wife is suffering from stage-4 ovarian cancer. Siddiqui had sought interim bail of six weeks to take care of his wife.
What did the High Court say?
A single bench of Justice Saurabh Banerjee pronounced the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides. Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary appeared on behalf of Siddiqui, while senior advocate Zoheb Hussain appeared in the court on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED opposed the interim bail saying the case pertains to serious economic offenses and there is no sufficient ground to grant relief to the petitioner. Accepting this argument, the court refused to grant interim bail.
Bail petition was rejected earlier also
Earlier, the special court based in Saket had also rejected Siddiqui’s interim bail plea on June 9. The court had said that his wife is definitely suffering from stage-4 cancer, but there is no such emergency in the medical records on the basis of which interim bail can be granted. The court had also acknowledged that as per the available documents, his illness was stable and the positive effect of the treatment was visible.
What are ED’s allegations?
According to the Enforcement Directorate, this investigation was initiated on the basis of multiple FIRs registered by Delhi Police. The allegation is that Al-Falah University presented the expired NAAC accreditation as valid and claimed UGC accreditation which did not actually exist. Apart from this, there are also allegations of alleged irregularities in the medical college of the university in obtaining approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC). ED claims that illegal earnings of about Rs 493.24 crore were made between the financial years 2016-17 to 2024-25. According to the investigating agency, this money was transferred through various entities linked to Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui and his family.
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