Shiv Sena plans massive protests today after Sanjay Raut's arrest by ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut late on Sunday night in connection with the money laundering case

Shiv Sena workers will stage protests against the arrest of the party MP Sanjay Raut by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), his MLA brother Sunil Raut said on Monday. He said Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena stands firmly behind the Raut family.

The Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP said he was being framed based on “false evidence” but that he won’t bow down and quit the party, shortly before being taken to the Mumbai office of ED. (HT Photo)

"The Shiv Sena and Uddhav ji stand solidly behind us. Our legal fight (over Sanjay Raut's arrest) has begun," the Shiv Sena MLA from Vikhroli told PTI.

The ED arrested Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut late on Sunday night in connection with the money laundering case related to the redevelopment of Patra Chawl and related transactions involving his wife and others. Earlier in the day, the agency conducted a search at Sanjay Raut’s house and later took him to the agency’s office in south Mumbai for questioning, even as the Sena leader from the Uddhav Thackeray camp said he was being framed on the basis of false evidence.

Raut was questioned at his Bhandup residence for at least eight hours over alleged irregularities in the re-development of Patra Chawl in Goregaon and related transactions involving his wife and others.

ED searched Raut’s house and seized Rs11.50 lakh unaccounted cash, an official of the agency said, asking not to be named. Sunday’s action came after the Sena leader skipped summons twice for questioning in the money-laundering case. He was summoned by the agency on July 27 after he skipped an earlier summons, citing the ongoing Parliament session in the national capital.

The Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP said he was being framed based on “false evidence” but that he won’t bow down and quit the party, shortly before being taken to the Mumbai office of ED. “They (ED) are going to arrest me. I am going to be arrested,” he told reporters outside the ED office.

“False action, false evidence. I will die, but will not surrender. I will never leave Shiv Sena. I swear by Balasaheb Thackeray that I am not involved in any scam. He taught us to fight and I will continue to fight for Shiv Sena,” the Sena leader tweeted earlier. He said the ED action was aimed at weakening the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra.

Officials of ED, accompanied by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, reached Raut’s house at 7am on Sunday to begin their search. Hundreds of Shiv Sena supporters gathered outside Raut’s residence soon after the ED action began and shouted slogans.

About 200 police personnel were deployed around Raut’s residence on Sunday.

“The agency asked us to bring certain documents so we require some time to collect the documents; we requested the agency to give at least two weeks’ time,” Raut’s lawyer had said on July 27.

ED’s case is based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police in 2018 against Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan, promoters of the real estate company Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of HDIL that undertook the redevelopment of Patra Chawl in Goregaon and its director Pravin Raut among others.

The agency said that its probe has so far found that around ₹100 crore was transferred from HDIL to the account of Pravin Raut, who was arrested in the case on February 2. This amount was further “diverted” by Pravin Raut, a close associate of the Sena MP, to various accounts of his associates, family members and business entities etc, ED said.

“In 2010, part of the proceeds of crime, ₹83 lakh, was received by Varsha Raut, wife of Sanjay Raut, directly/indirectly from Madhuri Raut, wife of Pravin Raut,” ED said in a statement earlier. “This amount was utilised by Varsha Raut for purchase of flat at Dadar East,” it said.

As part of its probe, in April, ED attached properties worth ₹11.15 crore belonging to Varsha Raut, including the flat in Dadar and plots in Kihim, an official said.

Before going with ED officials to the agency’s office on Sunday, Raut came down at the gate of his home, waved at his supporters and displayed a saffron scarf.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde said if Raut was innocent, he should not be afraid of the ED action against him.

“Raut has declared that he has not done anything wrong. If that is so, why fear a probe? Let it happen. Why fear if you are innocent?” he told reporters in Aurangabad.

With inputs from PTI.