Islamabad, Sep 15 (IANS): Ali Musa Gilani, the son of ex-Pakistani prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, was granted interim bail by the supreme court Friday shortly after his arrest in a drug scam.

He was arrested outside the apex court while he was on his way to attend the hearing of his case involving the illegal sale of the drug ephedrine in 2010.

Musa Gilani is accused of pressurizing the health ministry in 2010 to allocate ephedrine quotas to two pharmaceutical companies. The court was hearing the case Friday.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Nasir ul Mulk took serious view of the arrest and ordered that he be presented in the court within half an hour, Geo TV reported.

He was later produced before the court, which granted him interim bail on surety of Rs.500,000.

His lawyers told the court that a notice was already served to him and his arrest was tantamount to contempt of court.

Musa Gilani had moved the supreme court Thursday to seek interim relief against a Lahore High Court order in the Ephedrine case.

The Lahore court had denied him a pre-arrest bail Sep 3.

Requesting the apex court for interim relief, his lawyer said there was no evidence against his client in the case but his arrest has been sought for political reasons.