Chhagan Bhujbal and Sameer Bhujbal bail plea rejected once again

Mumbai: In a major setback to the Nationalist Congress Party leader and former deputy minister Chhagan Bhujbal, the court on Monday rejected his bail application filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the cases.

The court also rejected the bail application of his nephew and former Lok Sabha member Sameer Bhujbal. This rejection comes immediately after the Supreme Court struck down a stringent condition for securing bail for a person accused of money laundering, saying it was unconstitutional.

Section 45(1) of the PMLA which imposes conditions such as hearing the prosecutor before the bail is granted, was “unreasonable”, the top court had said.

The court had previously rejected Bhujbal’s bail plea filed on medical grounds. The bail applications of both Bhujbals were pending since then.

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The SC ruling had stated in November, the original courts would hear the arguments afresh.

The special public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar had argued, the onus of proving that the alleged proceeds of crime were untainted was on the accused. In addition, he argued, Chhagan Bhujbal is a highly influential person and is likely to tamper with evidence. Investigation as to his foreign investments is still underway, the prosecutor said.

In 2015, the Enforcement Directorate had registered two ‘Enforcement Case Information Reports’ (ECIRs) under the PMLA against the NCP leader, suspecting illegal transactions to the tune of Rs 900 crore in all.

The first case registered was of Maharashtra Sadan and Kalina land allotment scams, the second was a housing project at Navi Mumbai by a construction firm promoted by the Bhujbal family. The firm owners were accused of duping flat buyers after collecting advance.