3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Feb 6, 2026 10:27 PM IST
A special court issued a non-bailable warrant against NCP (SP) leader Eknath Khadse and wife Mandakini for not being present before the court on Friday, in separate cases filed by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over alleged irregularities in a 2016 Pune land deal. The warrant will be cancelled when they appear before the court.
The court said that the exemption application filed on behalf of the two was vague and did not specify what was the personal difficulty due to which they could not remain present in court.
“The reason is not supported by any documentary evidence. The accused has all the knowledge that today’s case is fixed for framing of charge. As per the ratio led down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the charge MP/MLA cases should be framed expeditiously. But the accused, without any reason, remains absent. Hence, application is rejected,” special judge Mahesh K Jadhav said, rejecting their exemption plea.
The court then said that there were no orders staying the framing of charges in the case and issued a non-bailable warrant against the two. The court is a designated one for trials involving MPs and MLAs, including former ones.
The court had scheduled the hearing on Friday for framing of charges against the two and other accused. It has now slated the hearing next for February 13.
In December, the court had rejected the discharge pleas of Khadse, who was a revenue minister with the BJP, at the time of the alleged offence, his wife and his son-in-law Girish Chaudhari. The court had observed that “prima facie, a case of criminal misconduct, a scheduled offence, is made out” and material on record prima facie revealed that Mandakini and Chaudhari “acquired the property by legally unapproved means, relatable to a scheduled offence”.
The complaint alleged Khadse had misused his power as a minister to facilitate purchase of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC)- owned Bhosari land by Mandakani and Chaudhari for Rs. 3.75 crore, against the market price of Rs 40 crore.
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