Nawab Malik, Anil Deshmuk Takes High Court to Vote in Maharashtra Election

Former Interior Minister Anar Deshmukh and Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik on Monday went to the Supreme Court to challenge a Bombay High Court order rejecting their application to vote in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections taking place today.

Attorney-General Meenakshi Arora representing the ministers raised the matter before the bench of Judges CT Ravikumar and Sudhanshu Dhulia and demanded an urgent hearing today itself.

The bench said files of the case would be placed before Chief Justice NV Ramana, who would decide when the case would be heard at 12 noon.

They want guidance to allow their temporary release to vote for police escort.

Earlier, the PMLA special court in Mumbai dismissed applications filed by Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh seeking bail for voting day in the Rajya Sabha election.

Members of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Mr Malik and Mr Deshmukh are currently being held as prisoners on various charges of money laundering investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.

Mr Deshmukh was arrested on November 1, 2021, on suspicion of embezzlement and money laundering by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The ED arrested Minister of Youth Development Mr Malik on February 23 over a property deal allegedly linked to criminal aides Dawood Ibrahim. Mr Malik is currently in hospital, although under the custody of the Act.

The trial court had previously denied Mr Malik and Mr Deshmukh permission to vote in the June 10 Rajya Sabha election citing section 62 (5) of the Representation of the People Act, saying they were not allowed to vote while in jail.

Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has appealed to the Supreme Court seeking guidance from the Maharashtra government to expel cabinet minister Nawab Malik, who is currently in court on a charge of money laundering.