Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was released from jail on Wednesday, hours after a court granted him bail in an alleged money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which was slammed for arresting the politician “without reason” with a “pick and choose” approach.
He walked out of the Arthur Road Jail in central Mumbai to a huge welcome from members of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, waving a saffron scarf.
Mr. Raut’s release was also approved by the Bombay High Court, which refused to suspend bail as requested by the central agency tasked with investigating financial crimes.
The High Court on Thursday said it could not pass such an order without hearing both sides.
“I have not even looked at the order. I do not know on what grounds the bail was granted. I do not know on what grounds you have challenged the order.
How can I now grant a stay without hearing the parties,” said Supreme Court Justice Bharati Dangre.
Earlier in the day, a special court granted bail to Mr. Raut and charged Pravin Raut, while rejecting the ED’s request to stay the order till Friday.
In a scathing statement against the Enforcement Directorate, the court said in its order: “I am of the view that both the accused are fundamentally arrested illegally.”
“Simply labeling purely civil disputes as money laundering” or economic crime” cannot automatically acquire such status and ultimately drag an innocent person into a miserable situation under the guise of an arrest.
The court must do what is right regardless, of who is before that,” said the judge.
“From the material on record and the detailed discussion conducted, it is clear how Pravin Raut is arrested for a purely civil case, while Sanjay Raut is arrested for no reason. This truth is glaring,” the order said.
The ED arrested Sanjay Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP and a vocal critic of the BJP government at the Centre, on July 31 on charges of financial irregularities in connection with the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl apartment building in suburban Goregaon.
The court said the conduct of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), which filed the case, was “suspect from the outset”.
“The attitude of MHADA to file such an FIR (First Information Report) one fine can neither throw dust in the eyes of the court nor can it dust and wash away long civil disputes,” it said.
“Rakesh and Sarang Wadhwan, who was the main accused, were not arrested by the ED, they were left unpunished. At the same time, Sanjay Raut and Pravin Raut were arrested. This clearly shows the incoherence and ‘pick and choose an attitude of the ED,” the court said.