ED raid on Nagpur-based lawyer Satish Uke: Devendra Fadnavis says ‘law will take its own course’

“I have been informed that the case (against Uke) is related to some property matter. The case was registered by Nagpur police’s EOW. Based on the FIR, the Enforcement Directorate stepped in to look into the matter,” he said.

He added, “Uke is known for landing himself in controversies. There have been many FIRs filed against Uke. He had invited contempt of court for filing false complaints against judges. When he appealed against the punishment, the Supreme Court asked why his punishment should not be increased. The matter is still pending in court.”

The Nagpur Police has filed an FIR against Uke and his brother Pradeep Uke for allegedly forging documents for the purchase of a 1.5 acre land whose value is estimated at Rs 11.5 crore.

The Congress, on its part, has alleged that the ED probe against Uke rose out of political vendetta.

State Congress president Nana Patole on Friday refrained from defending Uke. In a guarded response, he said, “The BJP by repeatedly branding Uke as my lawyer is trying to defame Congress and me. The lawyer is independent today. He is fighting my case as a lawyer. Tomorrow, he may fight a case against me. Why brand him as my lawyer?”

A person who knows Uke closely said, “Uke has the penchant for filing PILs. Over the years, he has earned the tag of filing PILs against BJP leaders including former CM Devendra Fadnavis. The ED raid against Uke has raised eyebrows.” Uke had reportedly filed PILs against Fadnavis for non-disclosure of two criminal cases pertaining to the years 1996 and 1998 in his 2014 election affidavit.

However, the most-discussed PIL of Uke was in connection with the compensation for the family of CBI judge BH Loya. In December 2014, Justice Loya, who was presiding over the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, died in Nagpur reportedly of a cardiac arrest.

Recently, Uke had taken up the case for Patole who filed a Rs 500-crore defamation suit in civil court against IPS officer and former state intelligence chief Rashmi Shukla for illegally tapping Patole’s phone.