New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 21) dismissed a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging a Bombay High Court order granting bail to senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal in a money laundering case.
The High Court granted bail to Bhujbal in the money laundering case on May 4, 2018.
What did the apex court say?
A bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed the ED’s plea, saying the orders granting bail to Bhujbal were passed way back in the year 2018 and therefore no case for interference is made out at this stage.
“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,” the bench said.
Apex court also rejected Bhujbal’s plea challenging his arrest in money laundering case
The bench, however, rejected Bhujbal’s plea challenging his arrest in the money laundering case saying he was released on bail in 2018, and it was not necessary to go into the question of illegality of his arrest at the present stage.
“As the petitioner (Bhujbal) has been enlarged on bail in 2018, it is not necessary at this stage to go into the question of illegality of the arrest of the petition. However, that issue will remain open which can be agitated by the petitioner at the appropriate stage in an appropriate petition”, the apex court said.
What did the ED allege?
The ED arrested Bhujbal in the money laundering case in March 2016 following an inquiry into alleged misuse of office by him and his associates and as a result, the Maharashtra state government suffering financial loss.
The ED alleged that Bhujbal, during his tenure as Maharashtra’s PWD minister, awarded contracts for construction and development works, including the project for the construction of the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi by bypassing established norms to a particular firm on a platter in defiance of rules and regulations prevalent in the matter in return for kickbacks for himself and his family.
