Al Falah money laundering case: Delhi HC seeks ED response on Jawad Siddiqui’s interim bail plea

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a status report from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on an interim bail plea filed by Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui in the Al Falah Trust-linked money laundering case. The plea comes after a trial court earlier rejected his request for temporary relief sought on medical grounds relating to his wife’s cancer treatment.

Justice Madhu Jain issued notice to the ED and listed the matter for hearing on June 24. Siddiqui has sought six weeks of interim bail, arguing that he needs to care for his wife, who is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Advertisement

High Court issues notice to ED

The plea was moved before the Delhi High Court through advocate Talib Mustafa, while senior advocate Vikram Choudhary appeared on behalf of Siddiqui.

Appearing virtually for the ED, Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain opposed the plea and submitted that the petition was not maintainable. He informed the court that the agency would demonstrate the grounds for its objection during the proceedings.

The court directed the ED to file a status report before the next hearing.

Trial court had rejected interim bail

On June 9, the Saket District Court dismissed two applications filed by Siddiqui seeking interim bail on the grounds of his wife’s illness.

Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan held that the applications lacked merit in view of the prevailing circumstances.

The court observed that Siddiqui had failed to establish that his wife was terminally ill, incapable of managing her daily routine, or in need of his constant care. It further noted that alternative caregivers were available.

The order stated that Siddiqui had earlier been granted interim bail on February 7 due to a war-like situation that allegedly prevented his three adult children from travelling to India. The court found that no such circumstances existed now.

The judge also rejected the argument that the children could not travel because of their studies, observing that adult children are expected to support their parents during emergencies.

Defence cites medical and humanitarian grounds

Siddiqui sought temporary release to assist his wife during what was described as a critical phase of her treatment.

His counsel argued that there was no alternative caregiver available. The plea stated that Siddiqui’s parents were deceased, his wife’s father had passed away, and her elderly mother, aged over 75 years, suffered from multiple health conditions.

The defence further submitted that Siddiqui’s three children had been living in the UAE since 2017 and 2019. According to the plea, the eldest son remained in the UAE to look after his younger siblings and no other adult family member was available to stay with Siddiqui’s wife.

The defence also argued that Siddiqui was not a flight risk, citing his age of 61 years, family ties and his wife’s medical condition.

ED opposes relief, cites witness influence concerns

The ED opposed the interim bail plea, arguing that the grounds raised were substantially similar to those cited in Siddiqui’s main bail application.

The agency maintained that no exceptional or urgent circumstance had been shown that would justify interim bail while the main bail plea remained pending.

The ED further contended that Siddiqui had access to multiple entities and financial channels, including transactions involving foreign linkages, creating concerns about his ability to evade legal proceedings.

The agency also raised apprehensions about possible witness influence. According to the ED, three of the 45 witnesses in the case are Siddiqui’s family members, while 18 are current or former employees working under him.

The ED argued that his influence over relatives and employees created a substantial risk of witness tampering if he were released on interim bail.