Bombay High Court dismisses Pankaj Bhujbal petition

There was no respite for NCP MLA Pankaj Bhujbal in connection with an alleged fraud at the Mumbai Education Trust as the Bombay high court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by him challenging an order of the Charity Commissioner summoning him for a trial in the case.

Justice M.S. Sonak held that the Charity Commissioner has the same powers as a civil court and can summon anyone while conducting a hearing.

Sunil Karve, a founder trustee of MET and a chartered accountant by profession, has filed a complaint before the Charity Commissioner alleging a fraud of Rs 177 crore at the institution. The commissioner had recently summoned Pankaj Bhujbal, one of the trustees, to appear last week. Bhujbal challenged the order in the high court.

Mr Karve has accused Chhagan Bhujbal and his family members, who are among the trustees of MET, of misappropriating Rs 177 crore of the trust funds and misusing its office building at the Bandra Reclamation here.

Mr Karve, who co-founded MET in 1989 with Bhujbal, had earlier filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai Police, alleging that the Bhujbal family had usurped an entire floor in the MET building, using it as residence and also as the office of their furniture business.

Mr Karve also filed an application through his lawyer Sayaji Nangre before the Charity Commissioner to seek dismissal of Bhujbal, his wife Meena, Pankaj and nephew Sameer as trustees.

Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj’s father and former Maharashtra minister had dubbed the complaint as “politically-motivated”.

The summons by the charity commissioner is just one of the troubles before the Bhujbal family, which is facing the investigations of various agencies including Enforcement Directorate, Anti-Corruption Bureau and Navi Mumbai police into several cases of alleged corruption.

The ED has registered a case of money laundering against Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj and his cousin Sameer.

The agency has said that the Bhujbals have caused losses of Rs 870 crore to the state exchequer in several cases including construction of the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, Central library at Kalina, Nashik highway toll, the land scam in Nashik etc.

Sameer is in judicial custody in connection with the ED case.

Navi Mumbai police on February 25 filed a chargesheet against three of them in connection with a case registered in Navi Mumbai in housing project “Hex World” scam.

The said project was promoted by a realty firm owned by the Bhujbal family.