Highlights
- Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was arrested in the Patra Chawl land scam case.
- With this, Mumbai's Arthur Road jail now has three inmates from the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
- NCP leaders Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik were also arrested in money laundering cases.
MVA leaders in jail: With Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut's arrest in the Patra Chawl land scam case, Mumbai's Arthur Road jail now has three inmates from the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik were also arrested in money laundering cases by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). All three leaders are now lodged in Arthur Road Jail in three different barracks.
All these leaders have been kept in separate cells in Arthur Road Jail for security reasons and TV, carrom, books and other necessities have been provided to them in their barracks. However, Malik, who was arrested in February in a money laundering case, is currently admitted to the Criti Care Hospital in Kurla for treatment. He is admitted to a private hospital for the last two months.
Like other prisoners in the jail, all these three leaders are also getting a money order of Rs 6,000 per month. With that money, they can buy essential things inside the jail.
Sanjay Raut, who has been arrested on August 1 in the Patra Chawl land scam case by the ED, is now lodged in Arthur Road Jail as undertrial number 8959. Raut has been kept in a separate barrack alone due to security reasons.
According to his demand from the jail administration, he has been given notebooks and pens. He takes books from the jail library for reading. Even if they write a book their written work will remain inside the prison's boundary and cannot go outside. The Shiv Sena MP is also getting homemade food at the prison as it is allowed by the Mumbai Court. On August 8, Raut was sent to judicial custody till August 22. Since then, Raut has been lodged in the Arthur Road prison.
NCP leader Malik, who was arrested on February 23 over a property deal allegedly linked to the aides of gangster Dawood Ibrahim by ED is prisoner number 4622 in Arthur Road Jail. Malik has been in custody since his arrest by the ED, but due to his health issues, he is currently admitted to the Criti Care Hospital in Kurla for treatment. The court had allowed Malik to use the bed and chair in Arthur Road Jail and allowed him to eat home-cooked food. He too has also been kept in a separate cell and has been given things like TV, carrom, and books.
Notably, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who is also lodged in Arthur Road Jail is prisoner number 2225. Deshmukh is lodged in Arthur Road Jail for the last 9 months. Deshmukh was arrested on November 1, 2021, in connection with extortion and money laundering allegations levelled against him by the former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. Like Malik and Raut, the court has not given permission for home-cooked food for Deshmukh and he has to eat the food provided in the jail. However, he has been given a bed, carrom and TV in his separate barrack.
(With ANI Inputs)
