The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) petition challenging the bail of senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal in a high-profile money laundering case. The bench, comprised of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, upheld the 2018 Bombay High Court decision that granted bail to Bhujbal, emphasizing that there was no sufficient ground to revisit the bail orders at this juncture.
In their verdict, the Justices stated, “Impugned orders granting bail have been passed way back in the year 2018. Therefore, no case for interference is made out at this stage under Article 136 of the Constitution. The SLPs (Special Leave Petitions) are dismissed.” This decision brings significant relief to Bhujbal, who has been facing legal battles since his arrest.
The former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister was arrested after the ED’s investigation suggested that Bhujbal, along with his associates, allegedly exploited their official positions for personal gain, leading to substantial financial losses to the government. The agency accused Bhujbal of awarding lucrative contracts for various construction and development projects, including the controversial Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi, to certain firms in exchange for kickbacks that reportedly benefitted himself and his family. It was alleged that Bhujbal and his nephew, Sameer Bhujbal, funneled these illicit funds into illegally operated companies owned by them.
