
Had warned Manmohan Singh about misuse of PMLA: Sharad Pawar
'I was in the Union Cabinet. When the amendment was brought in the PMLA by Chidambaram… I opposed it. I told this to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that… it will be misused. But my point was not accepted,' Pawar said, adding it was Chidambaram himself who fell victim to this amendment.
'I also feared that this Act will be used against the Opposition,' he said. Pawar was speaking at the launch of Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut's book 'Narkatla Swarg (Heaven in Hell)', a memoir of his three months in Arthur Road Jail after he was arrested by the ED over alleged financial irregularities in the Patra Chawl redevelopment project. He was later released on bail.
'According to me the first thing to do after change in power in the state and the Centre has to be to change these amendments in the Act used by the ED, which are against the basic rights of individuals and political parties,' said Pawar.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
22 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Kota Srinivas Poojary seeks ED probe into alleged foreign funding to ‘defame' Dharmasthala
Kota Srinivas Poojary, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP, on Tuesday urged the Central government to order an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into alleged foreign funding for, what he called, an international conspiracy to defame Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara temple. In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Mr. Poojary said the probe should look into alleged foreign funding to some individuals, including YouTubers, who have been 'harming' Hindu religious beliefs. He said: 'Meanwhile news has spread that a Muslim YouTuber and his associates, who are attempting to defame the temple, have received foreign funds, and this is how some individuals have declared war on the temple'. Mr. Poojary in his letter said: 'As widely reported across the country, a group opposing the temple in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka has attempted to tarnish its sanctity. The State's Deputy Chief Minister has publicly stated that a conspiracy is afoot against the temple.' The MP further said the Minister in charge of Dakshina Kannada informed the media that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed at the request of Left-wing groups. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reportedly formed the SIT based on the words of an anonymous accuser and the entire government appears to have surrendered to this accuser, he said. 'They are digging trenches indiscriminately, even at the base of the revered Hindu deity Bahubali, unsettling devotees. Media outlets have reported that a politician from Tamil Nadu is pressuring the Congress high command to orchestrate a plan to undermine the faith of Hindus in Karnataka.' Mr. Poojary said: 'Therefore, I request that you consider my letter seriously and order an ED inquiry into the foreign financial assistance received by those opposing the temple.'


Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Saradha group owner Sudipta Sen, associate acquitted in 3 Ponzi scheme cases
Kolkata: A Kolkata court acquitted Saradha group owner Sudipta Sen and his associate Debjani Mukherjee on Tuesday in three Ponzi scheme cases citing lack of witnesses, lawyers aware of the court proceedings said. Tuesday's acquittal order was passed by the 11th judicial magistrate's court at Bichar Bhawan. (Representational image) 'Figuring among the 300-odd cases filed against Sen in and outside Bengal, these three were started by Kolkata's Hastings police station after his arrest in 2013 on the basis of complaints lodged by three investors,' a lawyer said, requesting anonymity. Tuesday's acquittal order was passed by the 11th judicial magistrate's court at Bichar Bhawan. 'The court observed that of the 50 witnesses named by the state, only 15 deposed during the hearings. As a result, the charges of cheating (Section 420 Indian Penal Code) and criminal breach of trust (Section 406) could not be proved by the prosecution,' the lawyer added. Lawyer Arindam Das, who is representing a few hundred affected investors of the Saradha, Rose Valley and other companies, said Sen's acquittal exposes inefficiency of the prosecution. 'With only 15 of the 50 witnesses appearing in court, the police clearly failed to do its job,' said Das. It is alleged that the Saradha Group raised more than ₹2,500 crore since the 1990s primarily from lower income group people by promising high returns. The West Bengal police arrested Sen and Mukherjee from Kashmir in 2013 when he went underground after the scam was exposed. Both are in judicial custody. The main probe against the Saradha group was started by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2014 following orders of the Supreme Court. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting a parallel investigation. Both agencies have filed chargesheets against several of the accused but their investigations are not yet over. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged multiple times before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre is using the federal agencies for electoral gains. The BJP, however, lost six seats in the polls and its rally came down from 18 to 12 while Trinamool Congress secured 29 of Bengal's 42 seats. Some leaders from both parties are named as suspects by the CBI and ED. They include leader of the opposition in the Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who left TMC and joined the BJP in December 2020. TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh is named by ED in a supplementary chargesheet.


Deccan Herald
22 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
'Is it criminal to love': Supreme Court bats to distinguish rape from 'genuine romantic' cases
The observations came on a petition raising the question whether or not the age of consent, which is 18 years, should be reduced to 16 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.