New Delhi [India], September 22 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved the order on the bail plea of Amitabh Jhunjhunwala after hearing the submissions of senior counsel appearing for him and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Jhunjhunwala is seeking bail in view of his medical condition.
On the other hand, senior advocate Zoheb Hossain, appearing for the ED, opposed the bail plea, saying that Jhunjhunwala was the Group Managing Director of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG). There is a siphoning off of Rs. 15000 crore through 39 shell companies. He was at the helm for 16 years.
Justice Madhu Jain has reserved the order for 4 PM today.
The bench on September 16 sought a status report from the ED on the bail plea of Jhunjhunwala, who has been arrested by the ED. He is in custody after his arrest on April 15, 2025, by the Enforcement Directorate.
His earlier bail was rejected by the trial court. Now he has approached the High Court for bail in view of his medical condition.
Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and Senior Advocate Rebecca John appeared for Amitabh Jhunjhunwala.
Jethmalani submitted that Jhunjhunwala's condition is serious and he had a heart attack in jail. All the medical documents have been annexed. He had his STE alleviated.
It was also submitted that he had shooting pain in his hand on 6 occasions. There was no angiography was got done by the jail authorities.
Senior Advocate Zoheb Hossain, along with Vivek Gurnani and Pranjal Tripathi, appeared for ED and opposed the plea.
He submitted that there is no difficulty in the treatment. He was given treatment in a speciality hospital. He was sent to AIIMS. There are differences of reports of Private Hospital and Private hospital.
It was also submitted that there is no abnormal wall movement in the heart. There is a referral hospital mechanism in the jail.
Hossain had submitted on the last date that Rs. 15,000 crores were siphoned off at the instructions of Jhunjhunwala. He was group managing director of ADAG GROUP for 16 years. He was at the highest position in RHFL and RCFL. Let me file the response.
Jethmalani raised questions about who got the money, stating that Jhunjhunwala has got nothing and doesn’t have even a single penny. He said that the ED's response is there. He referred to the reply filed by the ED before the trial court.
Hossain referred to RML Hospital's report. As per the report, he is healed.
"An investigation is still going on. My friend wants me to disclose the entire Investigation," Hossain said.
Jethmalani had said that Jhunjhunwala is in an acute medical condition and is unable to walk properly.
On September 5, the Rouse Avenue Court had rejected Jhunjhunwala’s bail application. The court had said that apprehension of influencing witnesses cannot be brushed aside. He is alleged to be the main architect of the crime committed in this case. The ED has already filed a charge sheet against Jhunjhunwala and 54 others, including firms.
He sought regular bail on medical grounds in view of his sickness and infirmity. He has been arrested by the ED in a money-laundering case connected with Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL) and Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL).
While dismissing the bail application, the trial court had observed, "In the instant case, the accused is alleged to be the principal architect of the crime committed in this case and has full control over the staff members who are cited as witnesses in this case and therefore the apprehension that he may influence the witnesses and tamper with the evidence cannot be ignored."
The court had noted that the investigation in this case is still underway and considering the nature and gravity of the accusation, the apprehensions of the ED cannot be brushed aside.
"In view of the observations above, this Court does not find sufficient grounds to enlarge the accused on bail at this stage. Accordingly, the application stands dismissed," Special Judge Vishal Pahuja ordered on September 5.
Senior Advocate appeared for Jhunjhunwala had submitted that the relief is sought solely on medical grounds by invoking the first proviso/statutory exception to the twin conditions under section 45(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. She had claimed that Jhunjhunwala falls in the category of a “Sick” or “Infirm” person.
It was further submitted that the accused is a senior citizen aged about 70 years and he is a Chartered Accountant with an unblemished professional record spanning nearly 5 decades.
It was also highlighted that he has been in custody for more than 4 months now, and the investigation related to him has been concluded and the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) has been filed on 12.06.2026.
Senior Advocate argued that the accused has a history of medical condition that is heart issues, orthopaedic issues, degenerative musculoskeletal condition, hypertension and lower back pain due to compression fracture of the D-11 vertebra.
On the other hand, the ED opposed the bail application, and senior advocate Zoheb Hossain had argued that the entire medical record placed before the Court demonstrates that continuous, specialised and uninterrupted medical treatment is being provided to Jhunjhunwala since the date of his arrest and his claim that he has been deprived of adequate medical care is baseless.
Senior advocate for ED had also argued that the extraordinary gravity of the offence and the commanding position of the accused within Reliance Anil Ambani Group and the overwhelming evidence collected during investigation strongly mitigate against the exercise of judicial discretion in his favour.
It was further argued that the accused also do not satisfy the triple test of governing the grant of bail as his influence in a position of authority is such that he may influence the witnesses who have been his employees working under him, and he may tamper with the evidence if a lenient view is taken in his favour.