The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Suraj Chavan in a money laundering case related to an alleged scam involving the distribution of 'khichdi' packets to migrant workers in Mumbai during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justice Milind Jadhav approved Chavan's bail plea, citing his incarceration for over a year and the unlikelihood of the trial concluding in the near future.
"If applicant's detention is further continued, it would amount to the infringement of his fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution of India of a speedy trial and guarantee of personal liberty," the court said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Suraj Chavan, a core committee member of the Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), in January 2024. The money laundering case against him stems from a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW). According to the ED, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) transferred ₹8.64 crore to the bank account of Force One Multi Services for the distribution of 'khichdi' packets to migrant workers stranded in Mumbai during the COVID-19 lockdown.