The petition filed through Union panel lawyer DP Singh contended that the FIR smacked of malafides and was a clear attempt by the State machinery to thwart various investigations initiated against ministers of the State “several of whom are closely connected with the ruling dispensation in the State”.
Although ED officers have not been named as accused in the FIR, statements of senior leaders like Sanjay Raut from Shiv Sena caused an apprehension that the investigation by the State had started with an obvious purpose.
Raut had tweeted recently that ED officers and Navlani extorted over a ₹100 crore from builders and corporate offices and also claimed to have addressed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the same.
“It is evident that the investigation by the State police has been started with obvious purpose and will not be unbiased or objective, rather the entire action of registering a criminal case is clearly motivated to derail the statutory investigation and to keep the officers of ED under threat of malicious and vexatious criminal prosecution,” the plea highlighted.
Source: Barandbench
