In a significant relief for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel, a Mumbai court has quashed an Enforcement Directorate (ED) order seeking to attach properties worth over Rs 180 crore.
The order, issued by an Appellate Tribunal under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act (SAFEMA), brings a reprieve for the Rajya Sabha member representing the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar. Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s nephew, is now part of Maharashtra’s Mahayuti coalition with the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
The ED had previously seized the 12th and 15th floors of Ceejay House in Mumbai’s upscale Worli, owned by Praful Patel and his family. These properties, valued at about Rs 180 crore, are registered under the names of Patel’s wife Varsha and his company Millennium Developer.
The financial probe agency alleged that the properties were illegally acquired from Hajra Memon, the widow of Iqbal Mirchi, a notorious drug lord and close associate of gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Mirchi, who was also implicated in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, died in London in 2013.
However, the tribunal ruled the ED’s action against Patel was illegal, determining that the properties were not involved in money laundering nor linked to Mirchi.
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The tribunal noted that the 14,000-square-foot property belonging to Memon and her sons in Ceejay House was already separately attached. Therefore, it stated, the additional 14,000-square-foot property belonging to the Patels did not warrant attachment as it was not part of the proceeds of crime.
Previously, the ED contended that Praful Patel had purchased the plot on which Ceejay House was constructed from Hajra Memon. Given that Memon and her sons have been declared fugitives, the properties were attached by the agency.
The tribunal’s decision has sparked criticism from opposition figures in Maharashtra, renewing accusations of partisan misuse of central agencies. Sanjay Raut, representing Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena in the Rajya Sabha, questioned the ED’s credibility.
“It is now clear that the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are both extensions of the BJP. The ED’s credibility is in question now,” Sanjay Raut stated.
Expressing his defiance, Sanjay Raut added, “We had no illegal properties. Yet they were attached. You have released everyone’s property but not of those who oppose you (the BJP). We will continue our legal battle. You can take away even my clothes. We won’t bow to you.”
Praful Patel, a loyalist of Ajit Pawar, supported him during his unexpected rebellion against his uncle Sharad Pawar in 2023. This coup resulted in the NCP splitting into two factions, with Ajit Pawar subsequently lending support to the BJP-Shinde Sena government in the state and assuming the role of Deputy Chief Minister.
