Bombay high court lifts travel restrictions on NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal

The travel restrictions were part of the bail conditions imposed on Bhujbal by the high court with regards to the money laundering scam which was being tried by the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court

The Bombay high court (HC) has allowed former deputy chief minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal to travel anywhere in the country and the state. The travel restrictions were part of the bail conditions imposed on Bhujbal by the high court with regards to the money laundering scam which was being tried by the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court. While lifting the travel restrictions, HC however, imposed a condition wherein the investigating officer was to be informed about Bhujbal’s travel itinerary in advance.

File photo of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal. (Kunal Patil/HT photo)

According to the application made by Bhujbal through his advocate Shalabh Saxena, given his prominent status in the NCP, he had to make numerous visits to Delhi and other states to attend meetings and address public rallies.

The application said that he was expected to make frequent visits to his constituency which was drought-affected, and visit other states while discharging his duties as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. It stated that complying with the bail condition of seeking permission from the special PMLA court every time he wished to travel out of the city was a cumbersome exercise and requested that the condition on his bail be removed.

The application also pointed to the fact that out of the 53 accused in the PMLA case, the others had all been granted bail but such stringent a condition of taking the travel permission was imposed only on Bhujbal. Saxena submitted that as Bhujbal’s passport had already been surrendered to the authorities the stringent conditions should also be relaxed.

The bench of justice PD Naik allowed the application on the condition that Bhujbal would inform the investigating officer in the PMLA case of his travel schedule in advance..