NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging a Bombay High Court ruling that deemed the arrest of former Vasai-Virar civic body chief Anil Pawar in a money laundering case as “illegal”.
The ED arrested Pawar on August 13 in connection with the case.
According to the ED, illegal constructions were made, involving the development of 41 buildings between 2008 and 2010 by the accused builders and developers in collusion with City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra officials.
The ED’s appeal against the high court’s order from October 15 was heard by a bench consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta on Monday. The bench requested Pavars’ response and scheduled the next hearing for three weeks later.
Pawar had previously approached the high court, claiming his arrest was an unlawful and arbitrary act by the arresting officer.
The ED also claimed that investigations conducted from February 2025 to August 13, 2025, indicated Pawar’s involvement in the crime, suggesting he received substantial illegal payments. However, Pawar denies all allegations.
Pawar, an IAS officer from the 2014 batch, began serving as commissioner of the Vasai-Virar city municipal corporation on January 13, 2022, and held the position until July 25, 2025.
“Upon reviewing the evidence in accordance with the law, we find no prima facie case against the petitioner for his arrest on August 13, 2025,” the high court stated.
The court pointed out that while the ED cited illegal constructions of 41 buildings, it concluded that Pawar could not be held responsible for the alleged illegal activities, thus labeling the arrest as unlawful.
Additionally, the high court annulled the remand orders issued by a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and mandated Pawar’s release.
The case involves allegations of unauthorized construction on government and private land within the Vasai-Virar city municipal jurisdiction.
