Dapoli resort case: HC denies bail to Sadanand Kadam

The Bombay high court on Wednesday rejected a bail plea filed by Sadanand Kadam, an aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab, in connection with the Dapoli resort money- laundering case

The Bombay high court on Wednesday rejected a bail plea filed by Sadanand Kadam, an aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab, in connection with the Dapoli resort money- laundering case. A single-judge bench of justice MS Karnik had on December 1 reserved its order on his plea.

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Kadam, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in March, approached the special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Special judge MG Deshpande in October 2023, however, denied Kadam bail on grounds that he helped Parab launder money through the resort, Sai Resort NX, in Dapoli in Ratnagiri district in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone norms. The court also said that since the Environment Protection Act forbade development on the land, any money obtained through sales or other activities would be deemed proceeds of crime.

The ministry of environment, forest, and climate change had filed a complaint against Parab, Sai Resort NX, and others before a Mumbai magistrate court. Other than breaking Environment Protection Act rules, Parab was charged with cheating and embezzling government money.

ED claimed that Parab had allegedly fraudulently obtained permission from the revenue department to construct twin bungalows in a no-development zone while concealing all irregularities and violations. According to agency sources, Kadam was instrumental in all of this, putting pressure on the sarpanch and gram sevak to evaluate the land and demonstrate that the construction was there from the beginning.

ED recently sought to intervene in a petition filed by Parab who had sought a direction to quash an FIR against him.