Mumbai court likely to pass order on Sanjay Raut's bail plea

A special court in Mumbai is likely to pronounce its order on the bail plea of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case pretaining to the Patra Chawal redevelopment project.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Rajya Sabha member Raut in July this year for his alleged role in financial irregularities in connection with the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl (row tenement) in suburban Goregaon.

According to a report of PTI, Special Judge M G Deshpande, designated to hear cases pertaining to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), reserved the order last week after hearing arguments from both sides. He is currently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.

Raut had in his bail plea claimed the case against him was a perfect example of “abuse of power” and “political vendetta”.

The ED had opposed Raut’s plea, saying he played a major role in the money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment and acted “behind the curtains” to avoid the money trail.