Dhankhar’s exit, ED, ECI in focus in Raut’s new prison chronicles

The book titled ‘Unlikely Paradise’ will be released in Delhi on Monday at the hands of former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former union minister Kapil Sibal, veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh, among others. In it Raut alleged that ED’s influence extends beyond the ECI, closely monitoring the appointments and functioning of judges, chief justices and even the president of India

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has added four chapters to the English version of his book on his prison days, titled ‘Unlikely Paradise’, released last year, calling attention to “actions of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that earned it the moniker of a BJP ‘shakha’, and how it was used by the central government against democratic institutions and posts such as the Election Commission of India (ECI), and the pressures put on vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar to resign”.

Dhankhar’s exit, ED, ECI in focus in Raut’s new prison chronicles

The thoughts are expressed in chapters titled ‘Supreme Court v/s ED’ and ‘At the Doors of the EC and the Home of the VP’. Other chapters are, ‘Salute: Kasab Gets Free Biryani’ and ‘Saurabh Bharadwaj’s Case’.

The book will be released in Delhi on Monday at the hands of former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former union minister Kapil Sibal, veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh, among others.

In it Raut alleged that ED’s influence extends beyond the ECI, closely monitoring the appointments and functioning of judges, chief justices and even the president of India.

Raut recently had met Dhankhar, who in July 2025 resigned from the post of vice president abruptly citing health concerns. In the chapter on him, Raut has claimed that “ED had prepared a file against Dhankhar regarding his property deals and money transferred to the overseas accounts which was used when Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government became angry with Dhankhar’s independent political decisions”.

“Rumours circulated that Dhankhar and his wife had sold their Jaipur residence and transferred part of the proceeds overseas. The ED, closely tracking their activities, allegedly prepared a file to press charges against the former vice president, alongside other investigative agencies. When whispers emerged of Dhankhar’s independent political moves against the Modi government, ED reportedly presented him with this file, pressuring him to resign. His refusal to comply initially led to intensified scrutiny, leaving him visibly uneasy,” Raut has said in the book, a copy of which is with HT.

While referring to the use of ED against the ECI, Raut claimed that former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa faced ED action “because he refused to clear Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in alleged violations of the model code of conduct”.

In the chapter on Ajmal Kasab, the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist who was hanged for his actions in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Raut has offered details on security personnel’s claims that “whenever we had a chance, we beat Kasab; but he was thick-skinned”. He also sates that when he asked a senior police officer if Kasab was fed biryani regularly, he responded saying, “Saheb, biryani? We made him drink urine.”

Reacting to the claims, BJP’s chief spokesperson in Maharashtra, Navnath Ban said: “Just because something is written in a book does not make it the truth; such serious allegations require solid evidence, official documents, or clear statements from the concerned individuals. Making such accusations against people who have served in high constitutional positions is an attempt to create suspicion about the country’s institutions.”