Delhi HC grants bail to ex-ADAG executive Amitabh Jhunjhunwala in ED case
Delhi High Court grants bail to former ADAG executive Amitabh Jhunjhunwala on medical grounds in an ED money laundering case.
The Delhi High Court has granted regular bail to Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, a former senior executive of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), in a money laundering case linked to an alleged bank loan fraud.
Justice Madhu Jain allowed the plea on medical grounds, holding that the 70-year-old accused required structured and continuing medical care. The court found that his condition brought him within the statutory exception for a person who is "sick or infirm" under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
In its order, the court noted a combination of factors before it: advanced age, significant spinal pathology, osteoporosis, the need for supervised rehabilitation, and a pre-existing cardiac condition requiring continued management.
Jhunjhunwala was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on April 15 and moved the court seeking regular bail on health grounds. The agency opposed the plea, arguing that he did not meet the threshold of being "sick" or "infirm". It contended that his medical condition was already under continuing supervision and that the investigations and treatment recommended by government hospitals were available through the custodial medical system.
The court rejected the proposition that an accused must first reach a stage of irreversible or imminent danger to life before the proviso to Section 45(1) can be invoked for bail on the ground of being sick or infirm. It observed that the purpose of a medical exception is not to wait until the consequences of inadequate treatment become irreversible, but to permit intervention in appropriate cases.
The judgement was passed on Tuesday, September 22.
Jhunjhunwala has been directed to be released on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh with two sureties of a like amount. The court also imposed additional conditions, including the surrender of his passport, a bar on travelling abroad without permission, and a prohibition on influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.
The case relates to an alleged bank loan fraud carried out through Anil Ambani Group companies, including Reliance Home Finance Limited and Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd, using shell or dummy companies.