MUMBAI: The Directorate of Execution has issued a summons to Varsha Raut, wife of high-profile deputy Shiv Sena Sanjay raut, in connection with a Rs 55 lakh transaction in the Punjab Maharashtra Cooperative Bank between her and an associate.
The move, which came in the wake of a similar action against BJP leader-turned-NCP Eknath Khadse, has sparked shocks in the ruling MVA coalition comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.
The DE has asked Varsha to appear before him on December 29 with relevant documents related to his accounts in the bank PMC, which is in moratorium. The agency has invoked provisions of the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering to summon Varsha Raut. ED is investigating a Rs 4.355 million scam involving PMC Bank and Wadhawans of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) defaulting on loans.
ED is believed to be investigating a Rs 55 lakh transaction between Raut and Madhuri, wife of Praveen Raut, an associate of Sanjay Raut. Praveen was arrested in a case involving real estate development, but was later released on bail. The Rs 55 lakh transaction was cited as a loan / advance in the affidavit submitted by Sanjay Raut for his nomination to the Rajya Sabha in 2016.
“Ms. Raut has not received the notification. Even if we receive it, we don’t care at all, ”Sanjay Raut said in a text message to TOI when asked for his reaction.
After Eknath Khadse, Raut is the third politically connected individual in the recent past to receive an ED subpoena. Khadse was asked to be present at the emergency department on Wednesday. Shiv Sena lawmaker Pratap Sarnaik and his two sons are also under ED scrutiny.
NCP spokesman and skills development minister Nawab Malik described the call for Varsha Raut as “politically motivated” and driven by vendetta. “First it was Eknath Khadse and now Varsha Raut. Opposition leaders, who have taken a clear position against Prime Minister Narendra Modi they are being the objective of the central agencies. This is a serious abuse of power by the BJP, ” Malik said.
Within the MVA, Sanjay Raut has been among the most vocal critics of the NDA government. He is also considered to have played a key role in the union of the Sena-Congress-NCP coalition.
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