ED to move Delhi HC against interim bail to Al-Falah chairman Siddiqui

THe Enforcement board of directors (ED) on sabbatum decided to displace the new delhi heights Court hours after a Delhi court granted interim bail to Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, chairman of Faridabad-based Al-Falah University, in the agency’s money laundering probe linked to last year’s Delhi blast near Red Fort, people familiar with the development said.Additional sessions judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan on Saturday granted interim bail to Siddiqui for two weeks on medical grounds, stating that his wife Usma Akhtar is a cancer patient and has to undergo chemotherapy at Apollo Hospital on March 12.Granting relief, Pradhan observed that the medical documents placed on record clearly showed that his wife was undergoing chemotherapy and required care and support, particularly as she is living alone.Also Read: ED files charge sheet against Al-Falah University chairman, attaches ₹139 cr assets“The medical documents annexed with the application suggest that the wife of the accused is suffering from cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy at the aforesaid hospital, and is taking treatment as advised. Further, the ailments and medical condition of the wife of the accused/applicant is not disputed by the counsel for ED,” the court said.Siddiqui’s lawyer Arshdeep Singh Khurana argued before the court that Siddiqui’s three children live in the UAE and cannot come to India to take care of their mother.Opposing the bail plea, the ED argued that Siddiqui’s wife had been receiving treatment since 2024 and her condition was stable. The agency said that other family members, including Siddiqui’s brother, could assist her, and that Siddiqui’s children could travel from abroad to provide support.The ED argued that the charges against Siddiqui were serious and involved the laundering of large sums.Agreeing with the defence counsel, the judge noted: “Due to the prevailing condition of war, it cannot be expected from the children of the accused to visit India for the chemotherapy of the wife of the accused/applicant scheduled for March 12.”Also Read: Al Falah university founder Javed Ahmed Siddiqui arrested by ED in money laundering caseSiddiqui was arrested on November 18 last year by the ED on money laundering charges linked to the alleged cheating of students at institutions run by the Al-Falah Trust. The case is linked to the November 10 Delhi Red Fort blast.The federal agency filed a charge sheet against Siddiqui in January and attached assets worth ₹139 crore, including 54 acres of land inside the Al-Falah University campus.Reacting to the developments on Saturday, an ED officer said, “We are going to file an appeal in the High Court challenging the interim bail.”Also Read: Red Fort blast case: NIA arrests two more terror operatives“Siddiqui has misdeclared before the court that his children are unable to travel and take care of their ailing mother. The travel history of the children shows that they rarely visited India, and even when they did visit, their stay was for a very short duration. If the ailment were indeed so serious, it would be expected, by any reasonable standard, that all the children would have visited India and stayed with their mother to care for her,” the officer said.Another ED officer said that “Afham Ahmad Siddiqui, son of Jawad Siddiqui, and Afiya Siddiqa, his daughter, have not cooperated with the summons issued by ED and have never appeared. The judge, while granting bail, has not considered ED’s submissions.”