ED books Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar in MSCB scam

In a massive jolt to the Pawar family ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday registered a money laundering case against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Shahrad Pawar, his nephew Ajit Pawar and 75 others in a case involving the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam, the probe agency said.

ED's move against the political big wigs from the NCP comes after the Bombay High Court in its last month's order asked the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police to file FIR against Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and 75 others in the alleged scam.

The ED filed its case based on the FIR of the Mumbai Police, which lodged a case in connection with the scam last month.

The Bombay High Court had ordered to register an FIR in the alleged scam as petitioner Surinder Arora had filed the case in the Bombay HC seeking an investigation into the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank which was controlled largely by NCP leaders.