"Truth always prevails": Shiv Sena MP Waikar after EOW files closure report in Jogeshwari land case

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 6 : After Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) filed a closure report in the Jogeshwari land case registered against him, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Waikar said on Saturday that truth always prevails and he had stated from the start that the allegations were false.
"Truth always prevails. When the case was registered, I had said that the allegations were false. I approached the Supreme Court and by submitting an affidavit they (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) told the court that the letter submitted by them was wrong and they withdrew the letter," Waikar said.
The Mumbai Police's Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) filed a closure report in the Jogeshwari land case against Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Waikar, his wife, and four close associates. This development came after Waikar joined the Eknath Shinde-led faction and subsequently won Mumbai's North West Lok Sabha seat by a narrow margin.
The case pertains to the construction of a star hotel in Jogeshwari by allegedly manipulating the land use conditions.
The EOW stated that the complaint filed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was based on "incomplete information and misunderstanding."
Waikar joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde in March this year.
Earlier in January, the Shiv Sena MP appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case related to an under-construction luxury hotel in Jogeshwari.
After appearing before the central agency, Waikar's lawyers called the allegations made against the Uddhav faction MLA "bogus and baseless."
The Enforcement Directorate earlier conducted raids at seven locations related to Waikar and his partners in connection with the same case.
The ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Waikar in November, alleging a "Rs 500 crore 5-Star Hotel Scam."
Waikar was accused of defrauding the BMC of Rs 500 crore by obtaining permission to build a five-star hotel on a plot reserved for a BMC playground.
Ravindra Waikar won the Mumbai North-West constituency by a small margin of 48 votes. The constituency witnessed a close fight between both Shiv Sena factions - Eknath Shinde's Ravindra Waikar and Uddhav Thackeray's Amol Kirtikar.