Rohit Pawar and other accused seek discharge in money laundering case related to Maharashtra State Co-op Bank scam

Mumbai: MLA Rohit Pawar and several others accused in the money laundering case related to the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam moved the special court seeking discharge recently. The court directed the prosecution to submit its reply.Pawar in his plea through his advocate Kushal Mor said that there was no evidence of money laundering against him. Pawar also pointed to the closure of the predicate or scheduled offence on which the money laundering case was based. Last week the court accepted the second closure report submitted by Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the Rs 25,000 crore Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam case involving prominent politicians who headed the bank and its subsidiaries. The EOW had given a clean chit in the case to the late Ajit Pawar and Dy CM Sunetra Pawar, along with their nephew Rohit Pawar. The Supreme Court had on July 27, 2022, ruled that when there is no predicate or scheduled offence, a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, cannot continue. A predicate or schedule offence is the foundational criminal case required to sustain a money laundering prosecution. In this instance, EOW's case is the scheduled offence. Special judge Mahesh K Jadhav also rejected the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s plea to intervene and oppose the closure report.Last year, the court had taken cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the ED against Rohit Pawar, observing that he prima facie "knowingly participated in this fraudulent acquisition". In June, 2025 the ED filed a chargesheet against Pawar, his close associate Ingwale, as well as the Agro firm. It was the third chargesheet, and there are 17 accused, including firms, in the case. Pawar, a legislator from the NCP (SP), was earlier questioned twice by the ED.The Maharashtra State Co-op Bank money laundering case stems from an Aug 2019 FIR of the Mumbai police Economic Offences Wing (EOW). The court, after perusing the record, said, "Prima facie it emerges that the auction process of M/s. Kannad Sahkari Sakhar Kharkhana Ltd. was marred by fraudulent practices. Notably, the factory was revalued by Yes Bank at Rs 75 crores in March 2013, shortly after the auction, pointing towards undervaluation during the auction. There appears to be a pre-arranged scheme between Baramati Agro Ltd. and Hi-Tech Engineering Corporation Pvt. Ltd. to acquire the factory at a suppressed price Accused Rohit Pawar, Director of Baramati Agro Ltd., and accused Rajendra Ingwale, Director of Hi-Tech Engineering Corporation Pvt. Ltd., are prima facie found to have knowingly participated in this fraudulent acquisition."