ED Names Rohit Pawar In Maharashtra Co-op Bank Scam Chargesheet
ED Names Rohit Pawar In Maharashtra Co-op Bank Scam Chargesheet
Mumbai, July 12, 2025: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) legislator Rohit Pawar and others in connection with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam. This development comes months after the agency attached assets worth over ₹50 crore linked to Pawar’s firm, Baramati Agro.
The chargesheet was submitted before a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, though it is yet to be taken on record. The ED alleges that Baramati Agro acquired assets of the Kannad Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana (Kannad SSK) in a rigged auction, violating provisions of the PMLA.
In January last year, the agency conducted searches at Pawar’s premises, including Baramati Agro and other connected locations. Following the raids, the Karjat-Jamkhed MLA was summoned and questioned at the ED’s Mumbai office.
In March 2023, the ED provisionally attached assets valued at ₹50.20 crore belonging to Baramati Agro. These included 161.30 acres of land, a sugar mill, machinery, and buildings in Kannad, Aurangabad. According to officials, these assets are deemed “proceeds of crime” as they allegedly originated from the irregular auction of Kannad SSK.
The money laundering investigation traces back to a 2019 FIR by Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing. The FIR accused MSCB officials and directors of fraudulently selling cooperative sugar mills at throwaway prices to relatives and private entities, bypassing due process.
The ED claims that Kannad SSK’s assets were undervalued, and the auction was manipulated to disqualify the highest bidder, paving the way for Baramati Agro’s associate to secure the deal despite lacking financial capacity or experience.
So far, three provisional attachment orders worth ₹121.47 crore have been issued in the case, with the agency confirming the final attachment and filing the supplementary chargesheet before the Special PMLA Court.
