Special court allows Chhagan Bhujbal to renew passport

A court in Mumbai has granted permission to Chhagan Bhujbal, a minister accused in a money laundering case, to renew his passport. The minister is facing charges related to the Maharashtra Sadan scam.

MUMBAI: A special MP/MLA court on Monday granted permission to Chhagan Bhujbal, food, civil suppliers, and consumer protection minister, an accused in a money laundering case related to Maharashtra Sadan scam, to renew his passport.

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The 73-year-old NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader had filed a plea before the MP/MLA court through advocate Sudarshan Khawase, urging the court to allow him to renew his passport for ten years so that he can travel when needed with the prior permission of the court.

Special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), resisted the application, stating that the accused may abscond after the renewal of his passport. “The accused is being prosecuted for the offence punishable under Section 3 (money-laundering) r/w 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The offence is serious in nature,” Gonsalves argued.

Special judge RN Rokade allowed the application, observing that the applicant had not breached any conditions imposed upon him while enlarging him on bail and that the prosecution had failed to put forth any valid grounds for rejection of the application, stating that the said argument was not enough.

The court further directed Bhujbal to submit the renewed passport to the ED.

In 2016, Bhujbal and his family were charged by the ED under the PMLA for various matters, including the Maharashtra Sadan scam, which was unveiled when the state government allegedly favored a firm while giving out a contract to build a new Maharashtra Sadan building in Delhi and earned in the due process.

Sameer and Pankaj Bhujbal, nephew and son of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister, respectively, were alleged beneficiaries of the acquired kickback, considering that they were the directors on various boards of companies involved in the scam, facing allegations of around ₹1,100 crore.