ED Response to Bombay High Court ‘Uncalled for’ Observations are Somehow Affecting Other Cases

Savvy Thakur

Published on: 12 November 2022 at 17:25 IST

Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Bombay High Court that the court’s “uncalled for” observations regarding Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s bail order were having a negative impact on other cases.

On August 1, Sanjay Raut, a member of the Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thacekary faction, was detained by the ED on suspicion of laundering money obtained from his alleged front man Pravin Raut in the Rs 1,000 crore Patra Chawl scam.

On November 9, the Special Court granted Raut bail in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. ED had approached the high court on that very day to ask for a stay on his release from prison after three months. However, the court rejected the agency’s plea.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh in his opening statement, stated, “The order has observations that are having an adverse impact on various cases.”

Further, he contended that the special judge should not have made the observations.

The court responded that it’s not any special case there are many orders which have negative impact.

The special judge made the observation in the order granting bail that the ED is using a pick-and-choose approach when arresting people in cases of money laundering and that Raut was arrested illegally and without a reason. The request had additionally descended vigorously on the lead of the organization in being fast in capturing denounced at phenomenal speed yet directing preliminary at agonizingly slow clip.

However, before Singh could proceed, Raut’s counsel, Advocate Ashok Mundargi, argued that as the agency had taken a month to respond to the bail application in the lower court, they should have had at least two weeks to respond to the appeal in the high court.

Advocate Aabad Ponda, who represented co-accused Pravin Raut, sought additional time to respond to the ED’s plea.

Singh stated that the organization required additional time to amend their granted plea. The office had come rushing to the High Court on Wednesday when Raut was at this point to be set free from jail.

However, the ED’s plea must be amended now that he has been released. This will be finished by ED before Nov 14.

Sanjay and Pravin Raut have been given one week to submit their responses following the ED’s amendment, and the court will hear the case on November 25.

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