Shiv Sena’s spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has been remanded to ED custody till the 4th of August. Mr. Raut was arrested yesterday night in an alleged money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment case.
Seeking eight days of custody, the Enforcement Directorate alleged that Mr. Sanjay Raut used Pravin Raut as his front man. Special Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegavkar argued that Pravin Raut’s construction company received 112 crore rupees, out of which 1.6 crores were transferred to the accounts of Sanjay Raut and his wife Varsha Raut. He further alleged that Sanjay Raut has been tampering with evidence and key witnesses.
Dismissing the claims, Sanjay Raut’s lawyer, Advocate Ashok Mundargi claimed that his client’s arrest is politically motivated. He said the case has been under investigation since 2020 with Pravin Raut being arrested in January this year.
Noting that the alleged amount laundered in the case comes close to 1039 crore rupees, Judge MG Deshpande said that prima facie the ED’s statements suggest that Mr. Sanjay Raut and his family may have siphoned off money. Granting three days’ of custody, the court also observed that the accused may have cheated tenants and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority by selling FSI to third-party developers.
The court has however permitted Mr. Sanjay Raut to consult his lawyers between 8.30-9.30 am and has asked ED to wind up the interrogation by 10.30 pm every day.