No relief for Bhujbal, nephew: Court extends judicial custody till 27 April

Mumbai: On Wednesday, a special court extended the judicial custody of NCP leader and former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and his nephew and former MP Samir in connection with a money laundering case till 27 April. The duo appeared before the special judge P R Bhavke via a video link from the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai. Enforcement Directorate Lawyer Hiten Venegaonkar told the court dealing with Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases that investigations were on and the custody of the duo was further needed. Chhagan Bhujbal was arrested on 14 March. [caption id=“attachment_2728110” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo of Chhagan Bhujbal. PTI[/caption] The ED had told the court earlier it had attached properties of Bhujbals worth Rs 131.86 crore, while remaining properties worth Rs 708.30 crore were yet to be identified and attached. The ED had filed on 30 March an 11,500-page charge sheet, which names Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Samir, corporates like D B Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure. The agency has filed two FIRs against Chhagan Bhujbal, his family members and others under the anti-money laundering laws, based on FIRs filed by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau, to probe alleged irregularities in the construction of the state guesthouse ‘Maharashtra Sadan’ in Delhi and the Kalina land grabbing case in Mumbai. The high court, in December 2014, had constituted a special investigation team (SIT) comprising the ED and state ACB officials to conduct the inquiry against Bhujbal and others. The ACB complaint names Pankaj and Samir for offences such as cheating, conspiracy, criminal breach of trust under the IPC, and under the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act.