Bombay HC Refuses To Stay Release Of Sena's Sanjay Raut, To Hear ED's Plea Tomorrow

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had moved HC seeking stay on his bail. However, the HC is now set to hear the plea on Thursday.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut outside Arthur Road jail

New Delhi: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused to grant urgent stay on the bail granted to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl scam case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had moved HC seeking stay on his release. However, the HC is now set to hear the plea on Thursday.

Notably, Raut and another accused Pravin Raut were granted bail by the special court earlier on Wednesday which refused an application filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking the court to stay the order till Friday.

The ED had then moved the Bombay High Court seeking an interim stay on the release order.

A single-judge bench of Justice Bharati Dangre refused to grant an urgent stay and noted that it cannot pass such an order when bail is granted, without first hearing both parties.

"I have not even looked at the order. I don't know on what grounds the bail has been granted. I don't know on what grounds you (ED) have challenged the order. How can I grant a stay now without even hearing the parties...even if I have to make a prima facie order now," news agency PTI quoted Justice Dangre as saying.

However, the bench said it would hear the ED's plea seeking cancellation of the bail granted on Thursday.

"If after hearing, I pass an order cancelling the bail then the accused persons can be taken back in custody," Justice Dangre said.

It is to be noted that case pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra Chawl and related financial transactions involving Sanjay Raut's wife and associates.

Siddharth Nagar, popularly known as Patra Chawl in Goregaon, is spread over 47 acres and houses 672 tenant families.

In 2008, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) had assigned a redevelopment contract for the Chawl to Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited (GACPL), a sister company of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).

The GACPL was supposed to build 672 flats for tenants and give some flats to MHADA.

However, the tenants did not get a single flat in the last 14 years as the company did not redevelop the Patra Chawl and sold land parcels and Floor Space Index (FSI) to other builders for Rs 1,034 crore, as per the ED.