MSCB 'scam': NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar appears before court, released on bond

Mumbai, Aug 21 (PTI) NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Thursday appeared before a special court here in the alleged Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam case, and was released upon executing a bond.

The charge sheet filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate is "bogus", his lawyers told the court. Rohit, the grand-nephew of NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, has been questioned by the central agency twice in the case.

He and his close associate and businessman Rajendra Ingwale, also named in the charge sheet, were released after executing `PR' or personal recognizance bonds of Rs 25,000 each under section 88 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Under the provision, a court can release on a bond an accused, against whom summons has been issued, after he or she appears before it.

The MSCB money laundering case stemmed from an August 2019 FIR registered by the Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing, alleging fraudulent sale of SSKs (Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana or cooperative sugar mills) by then officers and directors of MSCB at throwaway prices to their relatives/private persons without following due procedure.

Special judge for MPs/MLAs cases Satyanarayan Navander last month took cognisance of a fresh charge sheet in the case against Rohit Pawar, noting that prima facie he was found to have "knowingly participated in this fraudulent acquisition". The judge also issued summons to the NCP (SP) leader and other accused.

Pawar, who represents the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly seat in Ahilyanagar district, appeared before the court in response to the summons.

The court asked him to execute a bond without imposing any conditions in view of his compliance with the summons and his reputation, said Advocates Dixita Gohil and Pranjal Agarwal, his lawyers.

The prosecution complaint (charge sheet) was bogus and no case was made out against their client, the lawyers told the court, adding that hence they were reserving the right to challenge it.

The next date of hearing is October 8.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June filed a fresh charge sheet in the case against Pawar, Ingwale as well as Pawar's firm Baramati Agro Limited.

It was the third charge sheet filed in the case. There are a total of 17 accused in the case now, including firms.

The central probe agency alleged that the MSCB, in order to recover an outstanding loan of Rs 80.56 crore of Kannad SSK Limited in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, took possession of all its assets on July 13, 2009, under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act.

The bank conducted an auction on August 30, 2012, of Kannad SSK by fixing a "very low" reserve price based on a questionable valuation report, the ED alleged.

"Apart from Baramati Agro Limited, two other parties entered the bidding process. The bidder with the highest bid was technically disqualified on flimsy grounds, whereas the other bidder was already a close business associate of Baramati Agro Ltd with no financial capacity or experience of running a sugar unit," it said. PTI AVI NP KRK