Supreme Court to Hear ED's Appeal Against High Court Order on Anil Pawar's Arrest

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by the Enforcement Directorate, which challenges a Bombay High Court decision declaring the arrest of Anil Pawar, the former chief of Vasai-Virar's civic body, as illegal. This development arises from a money laundering case involving unauthorized constructions.

The Enforcement Directorate claims that accused builders, in collaboration with officials from the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra, illegally constructed 41 buildings between 2008 and 2010. Anil Pawar, arrested on August 13, contests his arrest as arbitrary, although the ED alleges significant illegal gratifications linked to him.

The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought Pawar's response to the ED's plea and scheduled the matter for further hearing in three weeks. The Bombay High Court had earlier ordered Pawar's release, ruling no prima facie case against him during the said period, thus terming the arrest illegal.