HC asks police to submit report of investigation against Hasan Mushrif

The Bombay HC has extended the interim protection from arrest for NCP leader Hasan Mushrif until August 22 in connection with a money laundering probe.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and minister Hasan Mushrif till August 22 in connection with the FIR registered against him at Kolhapur-based on which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had initiated a money laundering probe.

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The HC also sought a report indicating progress in the investigation during the next hearing and asked the Investigating Officer to remain present in court. Mushrif is part of the Ajit Pawar lead faction of NCP and was sworn in as a cabinet minister on July 2.

The division bench of justice Nitin Sambre and justice Rajesh Laddha was hearing Mushrif’s petition for quashing the ECIR registered by ED and granting him protection till the petition was decided was informed that as the interim protection granted to him was till July 11 and as the investigation had not proceeded the protection should be extended.

The bench accepted the submissions and extended the protection till August 22, and called for a report indicating progress in the investigation.

The FIR was registered against Mushrif for allegedly duping investors after they had invested ₹10,000 more than ten years ago for setting up the Sarsenapati Santaji Ghorpade Sugar Factory Ltd (SSSSGSFL) in 2011. The complaint alleged that investors were not given any share certificates.

ED has claimed that Mushrif with his family members created multiple webs of companies beneficially owned by family members and relatives through which share capital was introduced into M/s SSGSFL in the initial years and utilised the same for the construction of the factory as well as the purchase of plant & machinery. Later, to acquire shareholding from paper companies, Mushrif, and his family members, utilised the funds collected from farmers and transferred the same to the said shell companies.

Mushrif’s counsel had submitted that though his name was not mentioned in the complaint to the Registrar of Companies, it has been mentioned in the FIR registered in Kolhapur at the behest of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya who had incited an investor to lodge the complaint.

After the complaint was lodged at Kolhapur police station, the ED had registered a money laundering case and also filed an ECIR which he was seeking to quash.

On March 10, while granting interim protection from arrest to Mushrif, HC had directed the Principal District Judge (PDJ), Pune to conduct an inquiry into how Somaiya who was not a party to the proceedings before the judicial magistrate which issued process managed to get a copy of the order even before the persons involved got it.

The HC has extended the protection from time to time.