Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Apr 22: A special court in Mumbai on Wednesday discharged NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and several others in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam, dealing a setback to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Special judge Mahesh Jadhav, who hears cases involving MPs and MLAs, allowed discharge applications filed by all 17 accused, effectively closing the ED case related to alleged financial irregularities said to involve Rs 25,000 crore.
The case had drawn considerable political attention due to the involvement of prominent figures, including Rohit Pawar.
The ED probe stemmed from an FIR registered in August 2019 by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police, which alleged large-scale irregularities in the sale of cooperative sugar mills.
According to the EOW, officials and directors of Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank had sold the sugar mills at undervalued prices, allegedly benefiting relatives and private entities while bypassing due process.
A major factor influencing the court’s decision was the earlier acceptance of a closure report filed by the EOW, which stated there was insufficient evidence to continue prosecution in the predicate offence.
Following this, Pawar and the other accused moved the special court seeking discharge from the ED case, arguing the basis for the money laundering proceedings no longer existed.
Accepting the contention, the court ruled in favour of the accused and closed the proceedings.
The ED had opposed the discharge pleas, arguing the matter remained legally alive and noting that a writ petition challenging rejection of its intervention plea was still pending before the Bombay High Court.
The agency had also urged the court to consider the merits of the case independently, pointing out it had filed a main prosecution complaint along with three supplementary complaints between March 2023 and July 2025 naming 17 accused.
The original EOW investigation had alleged losses of around Rs 25,000 crore to the state exchequer between 2007 and 2017 due to irregularities in loan disbursal and the sale of assets linked to cooperative sugar factories.
The discharge of the accused marks a significant legal development and carries political implications, given Rohit Pawar’s stature in Maharashtra politics.