After arrest by ED, Gujarat Samachar owner Bahubali Shah released on interim bail

MEDIA BODIES FLAY THE ARREST

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

AHMEDABAD: A court in Ahmedabad on Friday granted bail to Bahubali Shah till May 31 on health grounds after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.

Earlier, the ED had detained Shah, one of the owners of the leading Gujarati newspaper 'Gujarat Samachar', following a raid on their premises here.

Principal district and sessions judge K M Sojitra ordered Shah's release on interim bail while adjourning the hearing on his application for regular bail to May 31.

The sessions court directed Shah, 73, to furnish a surety and personal bond of Rs 10,000. It also imposed the condition that the investigating agency must be informed about his health status every other day, and he must cooperate with the investigation subject to his medical condition.

The ED, which arrested Shah at 8 pm on Thursday, did not oppose interim bail, stating it was giving its consent "strictly on humanitarian grounds and extreme medical condition of the accused."

Bahubali Shah is one of the directors of Lok Prakashan Limited, which owns the Gujarat Samachar. His elder brother, Shreyansh Shah, 85, is the managing editor of the daily.

Tushar Dave, head of digital services at GSTV, a Gujarati news channel run by Shreyansh Shah, said on Friday that the ED has detained Bahubali Shah.

In a Facebook post, Dave said Shah was first taken to VS Hospital by the ED and then admitted to Zydus Hospital in the city after his health condition deteriorated.

The federal anti-money laundering agency has not yet issued any statement about the reasons behind its action.

The Income Tax department searched the GSTV premises in Ahmedabad for nearly 36 hours. The ED raided the premises on Thursday evening, soon after I-T officials left, Dave said in another Facebook post.