JUDGMENT :

1. This is an application for bail by the applicant who is accused No.1 in ECIR/MBZO-I/57/2022 (hereafter ‘ECIR’ for short) for which Special Case No. 634 of 2023 is filed before the Special Court designated under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002 (hereafter ‘PMLA’ for short) against the applicant and other accused for offence under Section 3 punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA. The facts relevant to a decision of this application are thus:

2. On 20/06/2011, one Shri Vibhas Rajan Sathe purchased Gat No. 446 at Dapoli, Ratnagiri. Mr. Sathe made an application to the Sub-Divisional Officer on 21/07/2017 for conversion of the said land to non- agricultural (‘NA’ for short) use and for building permission. The NA permission and building permission was granted on 12/09/2017. Shri Sathe sold the said land to Shri Anil Parab on 19/06/2019 under a duly registered sale deed for the consideration paid by cheque/bank transfer. It is alleged that to conceal the identity of Shri Anil Parab, the sale deed was executed in 2019 though the transaction took place in 2017. All permissions were at the behest of Shri Anil Parab. Since 2017, Shri Sathe was only a front. It is al