Pankaj Bhujbal protected from arrest until June 7

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday extended to June 7 protection from arrest for Pankaj Bhujbal and seven others facing non-bailable warrants in the Maharashtra

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday extended to June 7 protection from arrest for Pankaj Bhujbal and seven others facing non-bailable warrants in the Maharashtra Sadan scam and related money-laundering cases.

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Pankaj, son of NCP leader Chha g an Bhujbal, had approached the high court with the other accused earlier this month to seek pre-arrest bail. Six of them, including Pankaj, also challenged the non-bailable warrants issued against them by a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.

The warrants were issued after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a charge sheet against Pankaj and other others, including businessmen Asif Balwa and Vinod Goenka. On March 30, the ED had filed an 11,500-page charge sheet, which accused Bhujbal, Pankaj, Bhujbal’s nephew Sameer, and several businessmen with various offences under PMLA.

Last week, the high court granted all eight petitioners protection from arrest until May 25, but directed Balwa, Goenka and Sanjay Kakade, another petitioner, to approach the special PMLA court to quash the warrants against them.

On Wednesday, Pankaj and the others sought cancellation of the warrants against them on the principle of parity, stating that Balwa, Goenka, and Kakade had been granted relief by the PMLA court.