Malik, Deshmukh move Bombay HC for bail to vote in RS polls

After a special court in Mumbai refused to grant temporary bail to them to cast their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on Friday, Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik and former minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday approached the Bombay high court for relief.

The legal teams of Malik and Deshmukh sought permission to file pleadings challenging the special court's order and sought an urgent hearing.

In their petitions, the two Nationalist Congress Party leaders have sought that they either be granted a temporary bail of one day or be allowed to cast their vote at the polling booth in the presence of an escort.

A bench of Justice P D Naik is likely to hear the petitions of both the politicians on Friday.

Deshmukh in his plea sought directions to the Mumbai Central Prison to take him to the polling booth for the Rajya Sabha election as an interim relief pending the hearing of his plea. Deshmukh has sought permission to cast his vote on Friday.

Malik's counsel Tareq Sayed mentioned the plea on Thursday and sought an urgent hearing on Friday before justice Naik's court. He said he was seeking reliefs similar to those sought by Deshmukh.

Deshmukh and Malik are currently lodged in jail in connection with different money laundering cases being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The duo had last week filed applications seeking temporary bail before special judge R N Rokade.

After hearing extensive arguments by all the parties, the court earlier in the day refused temporary bail to both the leaders.

The ED had opposed their pleas, saying that prisoners do not have voting rights under the Representation of the People Act.

Deshmukh was arrested by the ED in November 2021 in a money laundering case.

Malik was arrested by the ED on February 23 this year in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.

In the Rajya Sabha polls to six seats from Maharashtra, every vote is crucial for the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi, of which the NCP is a constituent, to get the Sena's second candidate -- Sanjay Pawar -- elected.