Maharashtra Sadan scam: Court grants bail to Pankaj Bhujbal

A special Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) court on Wednesday granted bail to NCP legislator Pankaj Bhujbal and two other accused in the Maharashtra Sadan scam case. Pankaj, whom Bombay high court has granted interim protection from arrest in the money laundering case registered with Enforcement Directorate (ED), was present in the court when it passed the order.

Readers may recall that this court has already granted bail to Pankaj’s father and former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Chhagan Bhujbal, and his cousin, Sameer Bhujbal, in the case. The bail however does not mean freedom for Chhagan and Sameer as ED arrested them in a PMLA case and the trial court rejected their bail plea.

Special public prosecutor, Pradeep Gharat, said, “Tanvir Shaikh and Sanjay Joshi are the other two accused who have also been granted bail.

All three accused have been granted bail on a surety of Rs 50,000 each.”

With this, all 16 accused in the case, and another seven in a similar case registered with ACB, have been granted bail.

It may also be recalled that the special ACB court on June 15 had issued a production warrant against Chhagan and Sameer. Since both of them were already in judicial custody for their alleged role in the money laundering case, Arthur Road Jail authorities produced them in court. The judge granted them bail for a surety of Rs 50,000 each. In a similar vein, the court granted bail to Pankaj after he appeared before it.

The ACB, in February this year, had charge-sheeted 17 persons, including the Bhujbals, in connection with the case. It had filed a 20,000-page chargesheet containing statements of over 60 witnesses.

According to prosecution, the case is entirely based on documentary evidence, such as fund transfers and bank transactions. In the construction of Maharashtra Sadan, contractors have earned 80 per cent profits, while as per the government circular, such contractors are entitled to only 20 per cent gains.

The ACB claims that the books of accounts were fudged to show that the profit earned was only one per cent.