Pankaj Bhujbal plea for protection from arrest rejected

The Bombay high court on Monday declined to grant interim protection from arrest to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Pankaj Bhujbal in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A division bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka rejected his petition. It also posted his petition against the non-bailable warrant issued by the special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in the Maharashtra Sadan scam till July 4.

The interim protection from arrest granted to Pankaj by the high court earlier expired a few days ago.

His father and former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal are the main accused in the case. He was arrested by ED in March and is still in jail.

Eleven other accused, including Rajya Sabha member and real estate developer Sanjay Kakade, have sought anticipatory bail and the high court has granted them protection from arrest till July 1.

According to ED, the accused conspired with Chhagan Bhujbal, a former PWD minister, to divert or ‘launder’ the kickbacks he had received.

On March 30 this year, the ED filed a chargesheet naming Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj, Bhujbal’s nephew Sameer and firms such as DB Realty, Balwa group, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure.

The charges relate to the contract for construction of the state guesthouse `Maharashtra Sadan’ in Delhi and the Kalina land-grabbing case in Mumbai.