Maharashtra MLC polls: Nawab Malik, Anil Deshmukh move SC for permission to vote

Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh. File Pic

Amid the ongoing Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections, former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and cabinet minister Nawab Malik on Monday have moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order rejecting their pleas to vote at the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) polls that is taking place today.

According to news agency ANI, Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora appearing for ministers mentioned the matter before a bench of Justices CT Ravikumar and Sudhanshu Dhulia and sought an urgent hearing of the case today itself.

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

Deshmukh was arrested on November 1, 2021, in connection with extortion and money laundering allegations levelled against him by the former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The ED had arrested Malik on February 23 over a property deal allegedly linked to the aides of gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

The trial court had earlier denied Malik and Deshmukh permission to vote for the June 10 Rajya Sabha elections citing section 62(5) of the Representation of People's Act to say they are not permitted to vote since they are in prison.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Maharashtra government to sack cabinet ministers Nawab Malik, who is presently in judicial custody in connection with the case of money laundering.

(With inputs from ANI)