Mumbai, Oct. 15 -- In a major setback for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Bombay High Court today declared the arrest of former Vasai Virar Municipal Commissioner Anil Pawar as illegal and ordered his immediate release from custody.
Pawar had been arrested by the ED in July 2025 in connection with alleged bribery and money-laundering offences amounting to Rs 169 crore.
A division bench of Chief Justice Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhar delivered the ruling, holding that the ED lacked concrete material evidence at the time of arrest.
The bench noted in its judgment that until August 13, the investigating agency did not possess the requisite material mandated under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to...