Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jan 23: In a major legal and political relief, Maharashtra cabinet minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has been acquitted by a special PMLA court in Mumbai in the Maharashtra Sadan money laundering case. The ruling also absolves his son Pankaj Bhujbal and nephew Sameer Bhujbal, effectively closing a case that has lingered for nearly ten years.
The acquittal follows a crucial development in 2021, when an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court discharged Bhujbal and his family members in the underlying corruption case, also known as the predicate offence. The defence argued that since the state never challenged that discharge, the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case could not survive independently.
Special judge R.N. Rokade upheld this argument, citing Supreme Court precedents which hold that proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act cannot continue if the accused is acquitted or discharged in the scheduled offence. Accepting the plea, the court ruled that the ED case lacked legal foundation.
The case originated from allegations dating back to 2005–06, when Bhujbal, then the Public Works Department Minister in the Congress-NCP government, was accused of awarding a contract for the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi to K.S. Chamankar Enterprises without a competitive bidding process. Investigators had claimed the contract exceeded Rs 100 crore and that the Bhujbal family received illegal kickbacks, with contractors allegedly earning profits far beyond permissible limits.
Following a PIL and complaints by activists, including Anjali Damania, the ACB registered an FIR in 2015 on charges of corruption, cheating, and forgery. The ED subsequently launched a money laundering probe, arresting Bhujbal in March 2016. He spent more than two years in jail before being granted bail in May 2018 on medical grounds.
In 2021, the special ACB court discharged all accused, citing lack of evidence to substantiate allegations of kickbacks or procedural violations. That discharge paved the way for the present order quashing the ED case.
Political observers say the verdict removes a long-standing legal cloud over Bhujbal and his family. A prominent OBC leader and a key member of the Mahayuti government, Bhujbal has consistently described the case as politically motivated. The acquittal is seen as a significant boost to his standing, neutralising years of opposition attacks branding him as “scam-tainted.”