The Bombay High Court on Thursday extended till April 27 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Hasan Mushrif in connection with an alleged money laundering case.
Justice Anuja Prabhudessai also directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its affidavit in response to his pre-arrest bail plea.
Mushrif, an MLA from Kagal Assembly constituency in Kolhapur, had approached the HC on Wednesday after a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act rejected his plea on April 11.
During the hearing on Thursday, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the ED, sought time to respond to the same.
Mushrif gets interim protection from arrest till April 27
The bench granted time to the agency to file its affidavit and meanwhile, extended till April 27 the interim protection from arrest granted to Mushrif earlier.
In his plea, Mushrif has claimed that he was being targeted by his political rivals, spearheaded by the BJP. It added that Mushrif has been cooperating with the investigation and hence his custody was not required by the ED.
“The manner in which the complaint is registered clearly indicates mala fide intent and the applicant [Mushrif] apprehends that the complaint would be used to put him behind bars in order to achieve oblique political conspiracy,” read the petition.
The ED had registered a case based on an FIR lodged in Kolhapur and a complaint filed by the registrar of companies concerning allegations with regard to the allotment of shares of Sarsenapati Santaji Ghorpade Sugar Factory to farmers against deposits of Rs10,000.
It has alleged that the amount collected from 40,000 farmers was diverted to various companies standing in the name of Mushrif’s three sons. The agency has claimed that these companies are “fake and shell”.
