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Activist Satish Uke moves court seeking copy of late CBI judge BH Loya’s handwritten letter
Document seized by ED revealed the judge was under tremendous pressure from the then CM, says application
Activist-lawyer Satish Uke, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case, on Tuesday filed an application before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, seeking copies of the documents seized by the agency from his residence. Uke claimed the documents included the original copy of a handwritten letter sent by late special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge BH Loya, revealing that he was pressured by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
ED had on March 31 arrested Satish Uke and his elder brother Pradip in connection with the case registered against them in February after carrying out a search at their residence in Nagpur’s Parvati Nagar.
In his two-page application, Uke said ED officials picked up several documents from his house which included those related to his own cases and his clients and property papers. He said the agency also seized a letter from the law and judiciary department pertaining to Loya’s visit to Nagpur and the original copy of the judge’s handwritten letter.
Uke has sought a copy of the letter, claiming that it is of vital importance for him. His application said the letter was written by the late special CBI judge, who presided over the trial of Union home minister Amit Shah and several policemen from Gujrat in the fake encounter killing of Soharabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausarbi, and one of his associates, just a few days before his death on December 1, 2014.
According to the application, without directly naming Fadnavis, the letter written in Marathi stated: “Chief minister saheb wants to become the prime minister early. But, why should he place people like me under pressure in his scheme of politics of blackmailing others to achieve this? He sent Joshi and his wife to me with a message to go and meet him [the chief minister]. They are repeatedly coming and pressuring me. They are offering huge inducements…. Now, I am under surveillance. I am being isolated. I am under tremendous pressure. I cannot meet anyone. Conversation on mobile is also not possible. I am now more worried about my family members. See you when I come to Nagpur.”
Uke claimed he required the letter for submitting its copies to the Bombay high court where he had filed a writ petition regarding the judge’s death.
Special PMLA judge GB Gurao directed ED to respond to Uke’s plea and posted the matter for further hearing on April 18.
ED had in February registered an ECIR (enforcement case information report) against the Uke brothers in connection with two land grabbing cases registered against them in Nagpur.
One of the cases was registered on January 23, 2022, based on a complaint filed by one Mohammad Jaffar, nephew of late Mohammed Samad. He alleged that the Uke brothers had usurped their five acres of land at Bokhara in Nagpur using fake documents.
The second FIR registered on July 31, 2018, is based on a complaint by one Shobharani Nalode, secretary of Aishwari Sahakari Grih Nirman Sanstha, alleging that the brothers had usurped the society’s 1.5-acre land at Babulkheda in Nagpur.
