Mumbai: Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case related to the Patra Chawl land redevelopment case, was on Thursday sent to the agency’s custody till 8th August. Raut was earlier produced before a special court as his ED custody ends today.
The central agency had arrested Raut on Sunday midnight in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra ‘Chawl’ (old row tenement) in suburban Goregaon and related financial property transactions involving his wife and alleged associates.
The ED had produced Raut before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court judge MG Deshpande on Monday and sought his remand for eight days. But the court sent the Sena leader to the agency’s custody till August 4.
The agency had told the court on Monday that Raut and his family received “proceeds of crime” worth over Rs one crore generated out of alleged irregularities in the housing redevelopment project.
The Shiv Sena has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the arrest of Sanjay Raut by the Enforcement Directorate, saying such targeting of the Opposition did not happen even during the Emergency imposed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena said democracy and a country perish if the Opposition is not treated with respect. The 60-year-old Rajya Sabha member is a close aide of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.
After Raut was arrested, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had on Monday described him as a hardcore Shiv Sainik of Bal Thackeray who did not succumb to pressure.
Bureau Report
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