The origins of this intensive probe trace back to an August 2019 First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police. The EOW investigation alleged large-scale irregularities regarding the sale of Sahakari Sakhar Karkhanas, or cooperative sugar mills. According to EOW findings, officials and directors of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank purportedly sold these mills at significantly undervalued prices to private entities or relatives of bank officials, allegedly bypassing due process between January 2007 and December 2017.
The court’s decision was heavily influenced by the earlier acceptance of a closure report filed by the EOW, which stated there was insufficient evidence to proceed with prosecution in the predicate offence. Following this development, Rohit Pawar and his co-accused argued that the legal foundation of the ED’s money laundering case no longer existed. The special court concurred with this contention, ruling in favor of the accused despite staunch opposition from the Enforcement Directorate.
The ED maintained that the matter remained legally active, pointing to a pending 2021 writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the rejection of its intervention plea. The agency urged the court to evaluate the merits of the case independently, noting it had filed one main prosecution complaint and three supplementary complaints between March 2023 and July 2025. These filings detailed the alleged Rs 25,000 crore loss to the state exchequer through irregular loan disbursals and asset sales. However, the acceptance of the EOW closure report proved a decisive blow to the ED’s standing.
The discharge of Rohit Pawar and his fellow accused marks a significant setback for the Enforcement Directorate in one of Maharashtra's most prominent financial investigations. Beyond the legal victory, the ruling carries substantial political weight given Rohit Pawar’s influential position within the NCP (SP). This conclusion to the long-running probe reshapes the political landscape, signaling a major turning point for the individuals once embroiled in the allegations of the MSCB scam.
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