Out of jail, ex-VVCMC chief seeks reinstatement

A senior officer of the general administration department said the government would have to reinstate Pawar as his arrest had been declared illegal

Mumbai: Former Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) commissioner Anil Pawar, who spent nearly two months in jail in connection with the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering probe into illegal construction in the Vasai-Virar region, on Monday appealed to the government to revoke his suspension and reinstate him.

Anil Pawar

“I was suspended because I was in custody for more than 48 hours. But my arrest was illegal – the high court has said this. Even the Supreme Court refused to stay the high court order. Hence my suspension is null and void. I am appealing to the government to take me back and reappoint me,” said Pawar, who is due to retire as an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer in 2030.

A senior officer of the general administration department said the government would have to reinstate Pawar as his arrest had been declared illegal.

Pawar served as the VVCMC commissioner from January 13, 2022 till July 25, 2025, and was subsequently transferred as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority in the Mumbai metropolitan Region (MMR). But he could not assume charge as he was arrested by the ED on August 13.

On October 25, the Bombay High Court declared his arrest as illegal as the ED had failed to produce requisite material under section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to justify his arrest. The ED subsequently approached the apex court, which refused to hear the plea urgently, saying the agency had registered the ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) four years after predicate offences were registered. This paved the way for Pawar’s release from Arthur Road jail ahead of Diwali.

“No tangible evidence was found against me…13 searches were conducted on me, but in 12 searches, nothing was found. There were reports in the media about jewellery being seized from me – I want to ask, where is the jewellery,” Pawar told reporters on Monday.

The former VVCMC commissioner said illegal construction measuring 94.40 lakh square feet were demolished during his tenure, while 228 penal measures were taken under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act.

“I had also registered 207 first information reports regarding illegal construction, besides terminating seven junior engineers and taking action against four assistant commissioners. As per the law, action should have been taken against assistant commissioners first, then against me. It is sad that I was targeted because I was the boss,” he said.