Court grants bail to NCP leader Eknath Khadse's wife in Pune land deal case

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A special court in Mumbai on Friday granted bail to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse's wife Mandakini in an alleged money laundering case related to a land deal in Pune district involving his family members.

Mandakini Khadse was named an accused in the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate but was never arrested.

The court had granted her interim protection from arrest in October 2021, which was continuing until now.

R N Rokade, special judge for criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, granted Mandakini Khadse bail on a bond of Rs 2 lakh with one or more sureties in the like amount.

The court also directed her not to leave the country without its permission, not to tamper with prosecution witnesses and evidence in any manner, and to cooperate for early disposal of the trial.

In the bail application, filed through advocates Mohan Tekavde and Swati Tekavde, the former minister's wife said that she is nowhere concerned with the purchase of the land in question.

The court on Thursday granted bail to Eknath Khadse, the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, who is currently in the Sharad Pawar camp of the NCP.

Khadse, a senior minister in the previous BJP-led government in Maharashtra, had to step down in 2016 after he was accused of misusing his position to facilitate the purchase of government land in Bhosari industrial area near Pune by his wife and son-in-law Girish Chaudhary.

The Khadse family purchased the land for Rs 3.75 crore when its actual price was Rs 31.01 crore, the ED alleged.

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