Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal gets bail on medical grounds for two months 

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The Bombay High Court on Monday (May 6), granted temporary bail to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal for two months on medical grounds. Goyal had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case. 

Justice N J Jamadar, sitting as a single judge, directed Goyal to furnish a surety of ₹1 lakh ($1197) and refrain from leaving Mumbai without prior permission from the trial court.

“The applicant (Goyal) shall be released on interim bail for a period of two months. He shall abide by all conditions imposed,” the bench said.

Goyal has been instructed to hand over his passport as well.

Naresh Goyal, aged 75, had requested interim bail on grounds of medical and humanitarian reasons, as both he and his wife, Anita Goyal, are facing cancer battles. 

Why was Naresh Goyal arrested?

In September 2023, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detained Goyal on charges of laundering money and diverting loans totalling ₹538.62 crore that had been provided to Jet Airways by Canara Bank.

In November 2023, his wife was arrested when the ED submitted its chargesheet in the case. She got bail the same day due to her age and health.

In February, a special court rejected bail for Naresh Goyal but allowed him to go to a private hospital for treatment. Goyal then asked the Bombay High Court for bail, saying he needed medical help.

During the hearing, Goyal’s lawyer asked the court to let him go on humanitarian grounds. He said Goyal had health problems and wanted to support his sick wife.

The Enforcement Directorate didn’t support the request because there wasn’t a recent medical report. They said it was okay if Goyal stayed longer in the hospital. ED’s lawyer, Hiten Venegaonkar, suggested that the court could let Goyal stay in the hospital for four more weeks and then get a new medical report to check how he was doing.

(With inputs from agencies)