Court grants interim bail to former minister Khadse's wife in money laundering case

Mandakini Khadse, wife of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Eknath Khadse, who is facing ED probe in 2016 land deal case in Pune, has got relief. A special court here has granted interim bail to Mandakini. Special Judge RN Rokade on Monday granted the interim relief to Mandakini Khadse, who was not arrested during the probe. The court said that prima facie a case for interim bail is made out. Other accused in the case include Eknath Khadse and his son-in-law Girish Chowdhary.

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Eknath Khadse and Girish Chowdhary had purchased a government land in Bhosari near Pune city in 2016 for Rs 3.75 crore, while its actual cost was Rs 31.01 crore. The prosecution's case is that the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister and veteran leader who joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2020 abandoned his official position as the then state revenue minister to facilitate the transaction.