Sharad Pawar slams PMLA amendments at Sanjay Raut’s book launch event

(From left) Javed Akhtar, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at Raut’s book launch in Goregaon West on Saturday. Pic/Ashish Raje

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar has claimed that he was strongly against amendments made to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) proposed by his colleague from alliance partner Congress and then Union minister, P Chidambaram. He made this statement at the launch of Heaven in Hell (Narkatla Swarg), written by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut about the time he spent in jail following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on allegations of money laundering.

Pawar mentioned that changes in the Act made it so that it put the onus on the accused to prove their innocence, rather than it being the investigating agency or government's responsibility to prove culpability. "Soon after the amendment, the UPA was out of power, and BJP formed its government. The consequences of the changes are seen today," Pawar said.

It may be recalled that in 2022, Rajya Sabha MP Raut was arrested by the ED for his alleged links to a case involving the development of Patra Chawl in Goregaon West. A special PMLA court later termed his arrest illegal, following which the Sena (UBT) leader was released on bail. By then, Raut had spent over three months in jail.

The book mentions the late Shiv Sena (undivided) supremo Balasaheb Thackeray coming to the rescue of the BJP leadership of Gujarat following the 2002 riots, including then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and state minister Amit Shah. At the event, Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said in a veiled reference: "I do not want to say anything about those visits as it is not our culture and upbringing to spill in public about any kind of help done to others."