Mumbai Court seeks response from ED in plea by Congress workers seeking blanket anticipatory bail for MVA members

A Mumbai court recently issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a plea filed by members of the Congress party seeking blanket anticipatory bail for Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) belonging to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the ruling coalition in Maharashtra..The petition was filed by Madhu Holamagi, Yusuf Patel and Ranjeet Dutta who were all from Congress..Special judge under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) MG Deshpande on June 18 issued notice to the agency seeking its response to the plea.The judge also asked the applicants to produce proof authorising them to seek reliefs in representative capacity on behalf of all MVA members.Failing this, the judge warned of individual notices which would be issued to every member of the MVA seeking clarification on whether they approached the Court seeking relief under Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure..The plea contended that the Central government under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party was misusing the central investigative agencies to harass the members of other parties especially components of MVA with malafide intention and ulterior motive to suppress the Maharashtra government."The BJP is feeling totally uncomfortable and members of the said party including Subramaniyam Swami, Devendra Fadnavis, Kirit Somayya and others are trying to make false complaints against members of the MVA and in that process by using the central agency such as ED arrested the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and thereafter Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik and by creating and manipulating various illegal matters and also unconnected factors as the two persons are connected with MVA government,” the plea emphasized..The plea stated that the Central government which is being run by BJP was having all assets at its disposal and was trying to antagonize the whole opposition party.The plea raised an apprehension that the Central government was misusing the availability of such resources by creating fear in the minds of the people of the opposition party.The applicants have prayed for the following reliefs:Grant of bail in cases where persons part of the MVA are involved;Interim relief that ED and all the central agencies be directed not to arrest any members of MVA and opposite parties if they are involved in false allegations by the Central government.