The Enforcement Directorate informed the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that the 2-months interim bail granted to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal on medical grounds may be extended for 3 weeks, provided he undergoes a medical examination at the Tata Cancer Hospital.
Earlier in May, the high court granted Goyal, who was arrested in a money laundering case, interim bail due to his health. Now 75, Goyal has requested an extension of this bail. His counsel, Aabad Ponda, informed a single bench of Justice N J Jamadar that Goyal’s health remains poor and his mental health is deteriorating. Ponda stated, “He is in a depressive state. He is having suicidal thoughts. He has seen his wife suffer and die and now he himself is going through the same,” citing a psychiatrist’s report.
ED’s counsel, Hiten Venegaonkar, emphasized the need for a proper medical report. “Let the interim bail be extended for three weeks, but he should be examined at the Tata Cancer Hospital and a proper medical report can be submitted to this court,” Venegaonkar suggested.
Ponda responded that Goyal was reluctant to go to the Tata Cancer Hospital, proposing instead a four-week extension to allow Goyal to undergo a preliminary laparoscopic surgery. “After this preliminary surgery, he has to undergo another surgery for his cancer treatment. The preliminary surgery can be done in four weeks,” Ponda explained.
The court instructed Ponda to file an affidavit detailing these requests and scheduled further hearings for Thursday.
Goyal was arrested by the ED in September 2023 on allegations of laundering money and siphoning off loans amounting to Rs 538.62 crore from Canara Bank to Jet Airways. His wife, Anita Goyal, was arrested in November 2023 but was granted bail the same day due to her age and medical condition. She passed away on May 16.
