At least three of nine NCP leaders who joined Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra today and were sworn in as Cabinet ministers, are currently under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in various cases.
The leaders are Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Hasan Mushrif.
Opposition leaders have been accusing the saffron party of using the central agency to target leaders and lawmakers from non-BJP parties.
Ajit Pawar, the captain of the team and the newly sworn Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, is facing charges related to the Co-operative Bank scam and the Irrigation scam.
The ED initiated a probe into money laundering in connection with the Co-operative Bank scam. In November 2019, when the three-party coalition of Congress, NCP, and the undivided Shiv Sena came into power, Ajit Pawar was appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister. Within a year, in September 2020, the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) stated that it found no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing and submitted a closure report to the special court. According to a Supreme Court judgment, if the EOW case is closed, the ED cannot continue its investigation. However, with the change in the state government last June, the EOW altered its stance in October 2022 and expressed a desire to pursue the probe, disregarding its own closure report. Currently, the EOW investigation is ongoing, and the agency is yet to file a chargesheet.
In the second case, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) submitted a report to the Bombay High Court giving Ajit Pawar a clean chit. However, the court has yet to accept the report.
Hasan Mushrif is facing searches by the ED in Mumbai regarding alleged irregularities in the functioning of Sar Senapati Santaji Ghorpade Sugar Factory Limited and companies associated with his family. Mushrif has claimed that the case against him is a motivated conspiracy. He has alleged that there is a deliberate attempt to implicate him in ED cases, and it is well known how the ED has been utilized to exact political vengeance and destroy political careers.
In April, Mushrif’s anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the special court, after which he approached the Bombay High Court. The court has been granting him interim relief, which was recently extended until July 11. The anticipatory bail pleas of Mushrif’s three sons, who are also being investigated by the ED, are currently pending before the special court.
Another leader, Chhagan Bhujbal, is also under scrutiny. In 2015, a case was filed against Bhujbal and 16 others by the Anti-Corruption Bureau following a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court, which sought an inquiry into alleged irregularities in awarding contracts worth over Rs 100 crore for three projects in 2006 when Bhujbal was the state PWD minister.
Furthermore, the ED has filed a separate case accusing Bhujbal of money laundering. Bhujbal was arrested in connection with the case and spent two years in jail before being granted bail. In September 2021, while the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) alliance was in power, a special court discharged Bhujbal and the others. However, in January of this year, an activist filed an appeal against the court’s order with the Bombay High Court, which is still pending.
Newly-appointed Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar today said that there was no split in the party and they would contest all the future elections on the NCP’s name and symbol.
A majority of NCP MLAs, and the entire party, has decided to be in the government, Ajit Pawar stressed in a press conference after taking oath.
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