HC extends protection to Anil Parab, Hasan Mushrif in money laundering cases

Bombay High Court extends interim protection to Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab in a money laundering case till August 24; refrains ED from taking action against NCP leader Hasan Mushrif till July 25.

The Bombay high court on Tuesday extended till August 24 the interim protection granted to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab in connection with a money laundering case. The HC also refrained the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from taking any coercive action against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Hasan Mushrif till July 25.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab has moved the court seeking to quash the ED’s case against him which related to construction of two resorts on a plot falling under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) in Ratnagiri’s Dapoli. As per law, the CRZ is a no-development area. (HT Photo)

Parab has moved the court seeking to quash the ED’s case against him which related to construction of two resorts on a plot falling under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) in Ratnagiri’s Dapoli. As per law, the CRZ is a no-development area.

A division bench of justice Nitin Sambre and justice Rajesh Laddha was informed by special public prosecutor Girish Kulkarni that the probe in the land deal case had been completed and Khed sessions court had taken cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Ratnagiri police.

Senior advocate Amit Desai, appearing for Parab, however, claimed that he was unaware of the chargesheet and due to the current political environment, his client required protection.

Representing the ED, advocate Shreeram Shirsat said as the agency needed time to go through the chargesheet it was willing to continue its statement of no coercive action against Parab till the next date of hearing. He then sought a hearing date by the end of July, but the bench said as the chargesheet would be lengthy and both sides would require sufficient time to go through it, it was posting hearing on the petition to August 24.

On the next date, the HC will also hear the petition filed by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change challenging Khed sessions court’s order which had set aside the initiation of proceedings by a magistrate court in a private complaint pertaining to the same land.

The division bench also heard Mushrif’s petition that sought to quash the Kolhapur police’s FIR related to a cheating complaint against him and the subsequent ED case. The complainant claimed that Mushrif had denied farmers share certificates after they had invested ₹10,000 in 2011 to set up Sar Senapati Sanataji Sugar Ghorpade Sugar Factory Limited. The ED began its money laundering probe against Mushrif based on the FIR.

After the lawyers for Mushrif and the prosecutor for the ED sought adjournment, the bench extended interim protection from coercive action granted to the petitioner till July 25. Mushrif is a minister in the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government.

Bail to former NCP MLA

A special Anti-Corruption Bureau court last week granted bail to former NCP MLA Ramesh Kadam in five corruption cases registered against him. Kadam, who was arrested in August 2015 for allegedly misappropriating ₹132 crore of Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Development Corporation, has already secured bail in around 12 cases registered against him in this regard. He, however, will not come out of jail as he is yet to get bail in some other cases.