Sanjay Raut, a leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), appeared before the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Thursday in connection with a money-laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment project in Goregaon, Mumbai. His appearance was part of a regular hearing as per the conditions of his bail, and the next court date is set for October 21.
The case revolves around the redevelopment of Patra Chawl, a 47-acre land in the Siddarth Nagar area of Goregaon, which originally housed 672 tenants. The project began in 2008 when the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) appointed Guru Ashish Construction Pvt. Ltd., a sister company of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd. (HDIL), to oversee the redevelopment.
The agreement was meant to provide new homes for the tenants, develop flats for MHADA, and allow the sale of the remaining area for commercial purposes.
However, the directors of Guru Ashish Construction are accused of selling the Floor Space Index (FSI) to nine developers and collecting nearly Rs 901.79 crore without completing the promised rehabilitation for the tenants or constructing the MHADA portion.
Sanjay Raut’s alleged involvement in this case led to his being summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June 2022. The ED's investigation into the Rs 1034 crore Patra Chawl land scam has attracted significant attention, with accusations of financial misconduct and abuse of power.
Additionally, Swapna Patkar, a key witness in the case, has made serious allegations against Raut. She claimed that she has faced rape threats and life threats for refusing to change her statements during the investigation.
In a letter to the Additional Director of the ED's Western Region, Patkar accused Raut and his associates of intimidating her and possibly other witnesses. She reported being pressured to alter her testimony and to transfer the title of certain properties in favour of Raut and his family members.
In the past, Patkar has filed complaints with the Vakola police, stating that someone had thrown a bottle into her residence containing a threatening letter written in Marathi.
The letter, found in the broken bottle, warned her against testifying in court. Patkar’s claims have added another layer of complexity to the case, raising concerns about witness tampering and intimidation.
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