Currently under Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has demanded for an air-conditioned room. On Thursday, Raut told the PMLA court that while being in custody he is being kept in a room where only one ceiling fan is present and that he wants an AC room. 

The Shiv Sena leader's lawyer told the court that in the atmosphere where the interrogation is being done, there is only one fan and no ventilation. In response to this, the ED stated that the entire building is air-conditioned including his room. Though if he wants an extra fan for ventilation, it can be provided.

It is pertinent to mention that Sanjay Raut's ED custody ended today (August 4) and he was produced before a PMLA court where he was sent to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till August 8. Earlier in the day, the ED levelled fresh charges against Raut claiming that he paid Rs 3 crore in cash to buy 10 plots in Maharashtra's Alibaug. 

#BREAKING | Sanjay Raut demands AC room in ED custody; tells court 'only 1 fan in room'. Tune in to watch latest updates here - https://t.co/x33PVRvCTe pic.twitter.com/wLrExT7RcZ

On the morning of July 31, the ED raided the Bhandup residence of Sanjay Raut in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam, grilled him for several hours, and took him to its zonal office in south Mumbai's Ballard Estate for further questioning. Before entering the ED office, he told the media that it was a "false case" and vowed to not desert the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray. At about 12.05 am on Monday, he was formally arrested under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for not cooperating in the investigation. 

The Shiv Sena leader has been arrested in connection with the Rs.1,034 crore land scam case which pertains to the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl and related transactions involving his wife and other associates. While businessman Pravin Raut was arrested in this case in February, the ED attached eight land parcels in Alibaug and a flat in Mumbai's Dadar linked to Sanjay Raut on April 5.

The Sena leader has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that he is being targeted due to political vendetta. Raut is a loyalist of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who was recently forced out of office following a rebellion and split in the party. The Rajya Sabha MP was questioned in the case on July 1. He spent about 10 hours with the investigating officer during which his statement was recorded under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

In April, the ED had provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore of Raut's wife Varsha Raut, and two of his associates as part of its probe. The attached properties are in the form of land held by Pravin M Raut, Sanjay Raut's aide and a former director of Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited, at Palghar, Saphale (a town in Palghar) and Padgha (in Thane district).

The properties also include a flat in Mumbai suburb Dadar held by Varsha Raut and eight plots at the Kihim beach in Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, the wife of Sujit Patkar, a "close associate" of Sanjay Raut, the ED had said. The agency wants to question Sanjay Raut to know about his "business and other links" with Pravin Raut and Patkar and also about the property deals involving his wife.