Al-Falah Trust Case: Delhi HC Denies Interim Bail To Jawad Siddiqui, Grants Three-Day Custody Parole To Meet Ailing Wife

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has refused to grant interim bail to Al-Falah Trust money laundering case accused Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, who had sought temporary release on humanitarian grounds to care for his wife undergoing treatment for Stage-IV ovarian cancer, but permitted him three days of custody parole to meet her.

The order was passed by a single-judge Bench of Justice Saurabh Banerjee, who declined Siddiqui’s plea for six weeks’ interim bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), observing that no emergent or exceptional circumstance had been made out to warrant his temporary release.

“Though this court is sympathetic towards the medical condition of the applicant’s wife, however, considering the gravity and nature of the allegations levelled against the applicant… the statutory rigours governing grant of bail cannot be diluted merely on humanitarian considerations, more so, in the absence of any emergent and/or exceptional circumstance warranting the applicant’s immediate release,” it said.

It further observed that Siddiqui “may be a flight risk and may be in a position to influence the witnesses and/or try to tamper with evidence”.

However, taking a humanitarian view, the Delhi High Court granted Siddiqui custody parole for three days — July 21, 23 and 25 — to enable him to meet his wife, Usma Akhtar, at their Jamia Nagar residence between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

It directed the Jail Superintendent to make adequate security arrangements, keeping in mind that Siddiqui is a “high-risk undertrial”, and clarified that during custody parole he would only be permitted to meet his wife and “be not allowed to meet and/or interact with any other person”.

Rejecting Siddiqui’s plea that he was the sole caregiver for his wife, the Delhi High Court said the medical material on record did not establish that his presence was medically indispensable.

Referring to the latest medical reports, the order recorded that the applicant’s wife was suffering from “Stage-IV Metastatic Ovarian Carcinoma-HRD Positive, MSI Stable”, but observed that her condition appeared to be stable and responding to treatment.

“It appears to be a case wherein the condition of the wife is not deteriorating and is rather improving,” the Delhi High Court said while referring to the PET-CT report, which recorded a mild reduction in the size of lesions and described the disease as stable. It also observed that Siddiqui’s wife was undergoing maintenance chemotherapy once every fortnight on a day-care basis and that the treatment did not involve any medical emergency or critical procedure requiring his continuous presence. It further observed that Siddiqui had not shown that no alternative support was available to his wife from relatives residing nearby.

Earlier this week, the Delhi High Court had reserved its order on Siddiqui’s interim bail applications after hearing detailed submissions from both sides.

Siddiqui had sought six weeks’ interim bail, contending that his wife is undergoing treatment for Stage-IV ovarian cancer and that he is her primary caregiver. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the plea, arguing that her medical condition was stable, no emergency existed, and that Siddiqui posed a flight risk in view of the allegations against him.

The interim bail applications arise out of two money laundering cases being investigated by the ED.

Siddiqui’s regular bail applications are listed for hearing before the Delhi High Court on July 29 and 30. According to the ED, the money laundering probe stems from multiple Delhi Police FIRs alleging cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy in connection with the operations of Al-Falah University and its associated entities. The federal financial agency has alleged that proceeds of crime worth Rs 493.24 crore were generated between 2016-17 and 2024-25 and diverted through entities linked to Siddiqui and his family members.

Earlier this year, the ED attached assets worth Rs 39.45 crore belonging to Al-Falah Charitable Trust and Siddiqui, besides attaching university land and buildings valued at more than Rs 144 crore as part of the investigation.

(IANS)