Explained: The Patra Chawl case in which ED has attached properties of Sanjay Raut's wife

"Asatyameva Jayate," tweeted Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut shortly after the news broke that officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had attached his properties in connection with the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam case. In a statement later to the press, the fiery Shiv Sena leader said, "I'm not one to get scared. Seize my property, shoot me, or send me to jail, Sanjay Raut is Balasaheb Thackeray's follower and a Shiv Sainik, he'll fight and expose everyone. I'm not one to stay quiet, let them dance. The truth will prevail."His angry reactions came after the ED attached eight land parcels in Alibaug and a flat in Mumbai's Dadar suburb linked to him and his family. What is the case all about? How does Sanjay Raut and his wife, Varsha, figure in it? We explain it all. What did the ED do on Tuesday?On Tuesday evening, the ED attached assets worth over Rs 11 crore belonging to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s wife and his alleged close aide Pravin Raut under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).ED officials said that the attached properties are in the form of lands held byPravin Raut – a former director of Guru Ashish – at Palghar, Saphale and Padgha, a flat in Dadar belonging to Varsha Raut, and plots at Kihim Beach at Alibaug, jointly held by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, the wife of another aide of Sanjay Raut, Sujit Patkar. The ED action is a part of their investigation into the irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra chawl project by Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).What’s the Patra Chawl case?In 2007, Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd had signed an agreement with Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to provide 672 tenants of Patra Chawl, located in Mumbai’s suburban area of Goregaon, new homes, then develop flats for MHADA and then sell the remaining area to private developers.According to the ED, however, Pravin Raut and the other directors of Guru Ashish constructions didn’t construct a single house for the 672 displaced tenants. In fact, they sold the floor space index to nine private developers, collecting Rs 901.79 crore. Additionally, Guru Ashish Constructions launched a project called The Meadows and took booking amounts of around Rs 138 crore from flat buyers. The ED has alleged that the total proceeds of the crime generated by Guru Ashish Constructions through these “illegal activities” amount to Rs 1,039.79 crore.How does Sanjay Raut and his wife fit into the case?The ED has claimed that their investigations showed that Pravin received Rs 100 crore from HDIL and “diverted” it to various accounts of “his close associates, family member, his business entities” including the family of Sanjay Raut. The ED also said that during 2010, part of the proceeds of crime, amounting to Rs 83 lakh, was received by Varsha Raut directly/indirectly from Madhuri Raut, wife of Pravin Raut. This amount was utilized by Varsha Raut for purchase of a flat in Dadar. It is also revealed that after initiation of ED investigation the amount of Rs 55 lakh was transferred by Varsha Raut to Madhuri Raut. There are also various other transactions.”The ED further said, “During the said period, eight plots of land at Kihim beach in Alibaug were also purchased in the names of Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar, a close associate of Sanjay Raut. In this land deal, apart from the registered value, cash payments were made to the sellers. On identification of these assets and other assets of Pravin Raut, a provisional attachment order attaching all these assets of Pravin Raut and his associates has been issued.”Reactions to the probeSanjay Raut has stood firm in his claims that the ED is harassing him and that their allegations were untrue. On Tuesday, he mocked the agency and questioned if it considered him to be similar to fugitive tycoons like Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya.As per an NDTV report, he was quoted as saying, "Please understand the meaning of property. Am I Vijay Mallya, Am I Mehul Choksi? Am I Nirav Modi or Ambani Adani? I live in a small house. I don't have a single acre of land in my native place. Whatever I have is hard-earned money. Does the agency feel there is money laundering? Whom are you linking me with."Raut has dubbed the raids as nothing but ‘political revenge’.Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray also supported his party member, saying the ED action was 'vindictive politics'. According to a PTI report, Aaditya said: "It is clear cut this (ED action) is happening with a political motive. It is happening due to vindictive politics. Whatever is happening in our country, it is certainly not an atmosphere of democracy, an atmosphere of politics. There is an atmosphere of pressure politics," said Thackeray."If such acts continued, there was a scope to think if there was democracy left in the country, the Sena minister said.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.