Former Maharashtra minister Anil Parab seeks HC protection in Dapoli resort case

Mumbai: The leaders of the political parties of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are rushing to the Bombay High Court seeking protection from coercive action by the central agencies alleging political vendetta. 

On Monday, former Maha minister Anil Parab approached the high court seeking protection in the alleged money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) related to a resort in Dapoli, Ratnagiri. 

The matter will be heard by a bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Sharmila Deshmukh on Tuesday. 

The SS leader approached the HC apprehending coercive action by the ED after his business partner and close aide Sadanand Kadam was arrested on March 10. 

Earlier, Parab was summoned by the ED for questioning. He appeared for questioning. 

Pending hearing in his plea, Parab has sought interim relief that the ED be restrained from taking any coercive action against him. 

The investigating agency, while seeking Kadam’s remand, claimed that the proceeds of crime were to the tune of over Rs. 10 crores in the form of a one acre land at Dapoli in Ratnagiri district and an illegally constructed resort in it. The land falls in the Coastal Regulatory Zone 3 category where construction is not permitted. The agricultural category land was converted to non-agricultural using pressure on department officials. The value of the Dapoli land is around Rs2.74 crore and on the said land the resort valued at Rs 7.46 crore was proceeds of crime. 

According to the ED case, in 2011, Pune resident Vibhas Sathe purchased agriculture land at Dapoli and then sold the plot to Parab in 2017 for Rs 1.80 crore, although the sale deed was executed in 2019. Parab used unaccounted cash of Rs. 80 lakhs to buy the land in Ratnagiri. The rest of the Rs. 1 crore that was paid for the land was through bank transactions. In the meantime, while construction took place in the ecologically sensitive land and other irregularities were committed including conversion of land use, Parab did not come to the fore.

Subsequently, Sai Resort was constructed on the plot and Parab sold it to Kadam.

ED alleged Parab and Kadam had made Sathe make an application to convert the land usage from agricultural to non-agricultural. It claimed that Kadam had pressurised revenue department officials and obtained illegal permission on September 12, 2017. 

Kadam, in connivance with Parab, had caused detrimental damage to the environment by constructing Sai Resort, said ED. The absence of any sewage and other municipal or such outlets for the safe discharge of effluents, owing to the illegal construction of the said resort, was causing great damage to the environment and ecology of the seashore, the ED has claimed.