Court refuses to stay Bhujbal NBW

In a setback to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Pankaj Bhujbal and several others facing money laundering charges, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Thursday refused to stay the non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against them. The court posted the matter for further hearing in June which means Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers are free to arrest persons against whom the NBW has been issued.

On April 27, special PMLA court judge P.R. Bhavake, on ED’s request, issued NBW against nearly 50 accused named in the PMLA case in which senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal and his nephew, Sameer, have already been arrested.

K.S. Chamankar was among the persons against whom NBW was issued, and he got a six weeks’ stay on the NBW from the Supreme Court. No sooner, other accused in the case made an application before the PMLA court, seeking a stay on the NBW issued against them, citing the order issued in favour of Mr Chamankar. The applicants told the court that the NBW issued against them should be stayed on grounds of parity but the court rejected their application and adjourned the matter for hearing in June.

The accused will now be required to seek other remedies available in law like approaching the higher court to avoid arrest.

The NBW was issued after the ED filed a chargesheet in the case and after taking cognisance of the chargesheet, the judge issued an NBW against all accused listed in the documents. The chargesheet was filed in connection with the Rs 960 crore alleged scam in the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and alleged land grabbing at Kalina. Pankaj Bhujbal was named in the FIR filed by the agency, besides his father, other associates, and entities.