Court allows Shabir Shah's plea for medical check-up

A sessions court here on Friday allowed the plea of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah, arrested in a money-laundering case, seeking medical check-up.

Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma directed Tihar jail officials to take Shah to a government hospital for a medical check-up.

Shah's counsel M.S. Khan has urged the court to provide better medical treatment to his client, as he is suffering from diabetes mellitus and has to follow a proper diet regime.

Khan has complained that Tihar jail officials were not providing Shah with diet as prescribed by doctors and, as a result, his health was going down day by day which could cause serious medical complications.

Meanwhile, the court extended the judicial custody of Shah and alleged "hawala" operator Muhammad Aslam Wani till October 27.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed a charge-sheet in the case last month against alleged hawala operator Wani and Shah under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Wani was arrested on August 6. He had reportedly confessed that he had passed on Rs 2.25 crore hawala money to Shah.

Shah was arrested on July 25 on charges of money-laundering in a case dating back to 2005, when the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Wani.

In the 2005 case lodged by the Special Cell, the court had acquitted co-accused Wani of the charges of criminal conspiracy and other offences but convicted him under the Arms Act, his defence counsel told the court.

The ED submitted that conviction under the Arms Act was a triggering point to take action under the PMLA.

--IANS

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