New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has issued summons to Chandrakant Madhukar Gaikwad, an aide of Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra minister Hasan Mushrif, to appear for questioning on Wednesday in connection with the sugar mill corruption case, as per a report by ANI. 


The summons come after the enforcement agency carried out search operations at Gaikwad’s office and several other locations in Pune over the case on Monday. 


In January, the ED had raided Mushrif’s house and office in Pune and Kolhapur in connection with the case. 


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However, last month the Bombay High Court protected the NCP leader from coercive action in the FIR against him in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a cooperative sugar mill till further orders. 


"There was a deliberate attempt to take action against him in Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases," the plea stated. The next hearing in this matter is on April 24.


Meanwhile the NCP leader had alleged that the probe was being done on the directions of Bharatiya Janata Party and that it is “targeting people of a particular community.” 


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"A BJP worker told my aide that there would be an (ED) raid at my house. That is precisely what happened. A BJP leader went to Delhi several times and boasted of some action against me," Mushrif had alleged.


The former Maharashtra minister had alleged that "people of a particular community are being targeted- first Nawab Malik, then Aslam Sheikh and now me." 


"There was a raid a year-and-a-half back by the income-tax department regarding the sugar mill corruption during which I had extended full cooperation with the central agencies. I have no idea why they raided me again," he added.