A Mumbai court has overturned an Enforcement Directorate (ED) order seeking to seize properties worth over Rs. 180 crore belonging to Praful Patel, a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the Rajya Sabha. The order, issued by an Appellate Tribunal under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act (SAFEMA), is a significant relief for Patel.
The properties in question are located on the 12th and 15th floors of Ceejay House in Worli, Mumbai, and are registered in the name of Patel’s wife and his company, Millennium Developer. The ED had alleged that these properties were acquired illegally from Hajra Memon, the widow and first wife of Iqbal Mirchi, a notorious drug mafia and associate of Dawood Ibrahim.
The tribunal ruled that the properties were not involved in money laundering and were not linked to Mirchi, thus rejecting the ED’s attachment order. It further clarified that since Memon’s property in Ceejay House had already been attached, there was no need for double attachment of Patel’s property.
The tribunal’s decision has sparked criticism from the opposition in Maharashtra, with Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena questioning the credibility of the ED. Raut accused the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of being extensions of the BJP, suggesting political motives behind the actions against Patel.
Patel, a close aide of Ajit Pawar, had supported him during a political rift with Sharad Pawar in 2023, which led to the split of the NCP into two factions. Ajit Pawar later aligned with the BJP and Shiv Sena, becoming one of the Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra.