Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday reserved the order on the bail plea of businessman Sadanand Kadam, a close associate of Shiv Sena (UBT) Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Anil Parab, in an alleged money laundering case related to Dapoli Resort.
Justice MS Karnik said that he would be passing the order on December 4.
Arrested in March
Kadam was arrested in March this year under various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He approached the HC after his bail plea was rejected by the special PMLA court.
The case was filed by Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in relation to the construction of the Sai Resort in a No Development Zone. Following the allegations, the Ministry of Environment and Forest & Climate Change (MoEF CC) filed a complaint with a Magistrate court in Dapoli.
The sessions court at Khed had quashed the summons issued by the magistrate to Parab.
Special PMLA Court Rejection
Kadam’s counsels Amit Desai and Sudeep Pasbola contended that there is no predicate offence as the Magistrate did not take cognizance of the complaint.
Desai argued that Parab had purchased the land from Pune businessman Vibhas Sathe, who claimed his signature had been forged in important documents. In his statement recorded by the ED, Sathe mentioned that he was pressured by a politician.
For ED, additional solicitor general Devang Vyas contended that the case against Kadam was valid and pointed out that there are two predicate offences due to an FIR registered at Dapoli police station for cheating.
However, Desai countered saying that unconnected causes of action are being dumped into ECIRs (Enforcement Case Information Report, akin to an FIR of ED).
