Sanjay Raut sent to ED custody till Aug 4

Mumbai: A special court here on Monday remanded Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till August 4 in a money laundering case.

The ED produced Raut before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court judge MG Deshpande and sought his remand for eight days.

The ED, represented by special public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar, told the court that Raut and his family were direct beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime.

Senior advocate Ashok Mundargi, appearing for Raut, submitted that the allegations are vague and raised due to political vendetta.

The ED arrested Raut on Sunday midnight in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of a 'chawl' in Mumbai and related financial property transactions involving his wife and alleged associates.

Sena workers and leaders gathered in the Kranti Chowk area of Aurangabad to register their protest. The ED has arrested Raut in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of a 'chawl' after conducting a nine-hour search at his residence in Mumbai, during which Rs 11.5 lakh cash was seized.

Speaking to reporters, party leader Chandrakant Khaire said there was never so much trouble in the country when the Emergency was declared, but there is trouble now even though there is no emergency. The Shiv Sena is not afraid of such threats and will fight against it, he said. The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen's (AIMIM) state unit president and MP Imtiaz Jaleel criticised the BJP over the action against Raut. When the BJP came to power, it took all the agencies in its hands. Never in the last 70 years have these probe agencies been used to settle political scores. We protest against the misuse of agencies, Jaleel said.

A similar protest was held by Sena workers and local leaders in Nashik city, during which slogans were raised and activists from the party's women's wing attempted to stage a rasta roko in Shalimar Chowk area.

Efforts are on to suppress the voice of the Shiv Sena through Central agencies such as the ED, said Vijay Karanjkar, the chief of the party's district unit.

A conspiracy has been hatched against Raut using the ED, and the BJP is behind all this. The Sena will not back down irrespective of the calamities that come its way and the party will support Raut, the Sena's city unit chief Sudhakar Badgujar said.