The plea 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 recently tweeted 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.
ED prayed for an order from the Court to transfer the investigation to any impartial agency like the CBI to ensure that the investigation progresses objectively.
Source: Barandbench
