The arrest of Nagpur lawyer sparks political controversy with leaders accusing BJP, Centre of misusing official machineries
Nagpur: Adv Satish Uke and his brother Pradeep, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an over Rs 11.5 crore money laundering case connected with a land grab case in Nagpur on Thursday, were taken to Mumbai in flight the same evening. The Uke brothers were flown to Mumbai following their medical examination, according to reports.
Today’s Rate
Tue 21 Oct. 2024
The ED on Thursday arrested Nagpur-based lawyer Satish Uke and his brother Pradeep in connection with a money laundering investigation. The brothers were taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and were expected to be produced before a court in Mumbai on Friday.
According to reports, the ED claimed the money laundering case against the brothers is related to the purchase of about 1.5 acre land in Nagpur sometime ago and the documents used for the land purchase were allegedly forged. The land that was purchased was in the name of the brothers, it said. A police official said the ED team took Satish Uke’s laptop, some documents and four cell phones belonging to his family members to the ED office for examination, reports added.
Meanwhile, the arrest of Adv Satish Uke sparked a political controversy. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut criticized ED raids at Uke’s home saying that it would not be surprising if Patole is also raided since Uke has been the latter’s lawyer. Raut, during Shiv Sena’s Sampark Yatra last week had met Adv Uke, accused the BJP and the Centre of blatantly misusing official machineries, especially in Maharashtra in their effort to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government.
Raut said that a strange situation is being witnessed in which those who provide information and evidence are being punished while the guilty are getting away scot-free, said Raut adding that in his recent complaint against the actions by Central probe agencies, nobody from the PMO has taken any action despite furnishing evidence against the ED.
State NCP Chief Spokesman Mahesh Tapase blamed the BJP for the misuse of Central investigation agencies.
It may be recalled that the Enforcement Directorate had raided the residence lawyer Satish Uke and his brother Pradeep Uke at Parvati Nagar in Nagpur on Thursday morning. Uke had filed election petitions against the former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He has been detained in connection with some land transactions. In July 2018, he was arrested by the Economic Offences Wing of the Nagpur Police’s Crime Branch in an alleged fraud case.
Uke is also the lawyer of Patole, who has filed a Rs 500 crore defamation suit in a civil court in Nagpur against IPS officer and former State Intelligence chief Rashmi Shukla and others for alleged illegal tapping of his phone.
Patole lashed out at BJP reiterating that the party-led government has been misusing the Central agencies against the opponents and those who are speaking up against the injustice. He recalled that Uke had in the past filed petitions in the Bombay High Court with regard to the death of Judge B H Loya. “Whoever raises voice against the anti-national and anti-people policies of the Modi Government, the government will try to silence them by misusing the central agencies, such a message is being given. But we will keep fighting to save the country,” said Patole.
