Court accepts EOW’s closure report on Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar

A Mumbai court closed the Jogeshwari land case against Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar and associates after police found the complaint was based on misunderstanding.

Mumbai: A magistrate court on Thursday accepted the closure report filed by the Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and closed the case against Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar, his wife Manisha, and four close associates in the Jogeshwari land case.

Court accepts EOW’s closure report on Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar

In June, Waikar who joined Eknath Shinde fraction in the run up to the Lok Sabha election, won Mumbai’s North West parliamentary seat by a narrow margin of 48 votes, following which EOW filed a closure report in a case registered against him and his associates.

In the C-summary report filed in the court, investigators alleged that the complaint, filed on behalf of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was based on ‘incomplete information and misunderstanding.’ The C-summary report is filed in cases where the FIR is found to be based on a mistake of fact.

The complainant was summoned and the investigating officer was heard on the reasons to file a closure report after which the court accepted the C-Summary report.

The BMC original complainant in February had already told the apex court it wanted to reconsider its decision. The Supreme court was hearing an appeal filed by Waikar against the Bombay High court decision. The HC had rejected Waikar’s pleas challenging BMCs decision to cancel hotel construction permission stating that he had suppressed facts.

Based on BMC’s letter that they didn’t find anything and there was no misuse of land we have closed the case as it was more of an administrative complaint and it is not clear whether the parties have received any benefits.

The Enforcement Directorate has also questioned Waikar as part of its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities related to the obtaining permission for the construction of a luxury hotel on a plot in Jogeshwari in violation of an agreement with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

ED’s investigation against Waikar, is based upon a case registered by the Mumbai police’ Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in September 2023.

Those booked in the case were Waikar, his wife Manisha Waikar, and other business partners.

It was alleged that the BMC had given the land to a club named Supremo Club, at Jogeshwari to maintain a facility for sporting and entertainment activities, but permission was later obtained to facilitate the construction of a luxury hotel at the reserved open space plot, which amounted to a violation of the agreement with the civic body on the utilisation of the land.

It was alleged that for a limited development of the land parcel, a tripartite agreement was concluded in February 2004 among the plot owner, Waikar and four others, as well as the BMC.

Under this agreement, 67% of the plot was to be kept for public utility, and the rest could be used for development by the owners/occupiers according to the 1991 Development Control Regulations (DCR), people aware of the developments said.

It was alleged that the accused persons later obtained civic permission in 2021 to construct a hotel.

The plot, which was reserved for entertainment and sports activities, was given to the accused by the BMC for free public utilisation, but they allegedly used it for commercial activities, according to the first information report (FIR) of the EOW.

Last June, the BMC cancelled its permission granted for the construction of the hotel.

Waikar had won the Mumbai’s North West parliamentary seat.