New Delhi, Jan 21 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Enforcement Directorate’s plea seeking cancellation of bail granted to former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and current NCP MLA Chhagan Bhujbal and his nephew, Sameer Bhujbal, in a money laundering case linked to the Maharashtra Sadan scam.
“Impugned orders granting bail have been passed way back in the year 2018. Therefore, at this stage, no case for interference is made out under Article 136 of the Constitution of India. The SLPs are dismissed,” the Court held.
A bench comprising Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan also disposed of Bhujbal’s petition against the Bombay High Court’s 2016 judgment that had upheld his arrest by the ED in the money laundering case.
“As the petitioner has been enlarged on bail in 2018, it is not necessary at this stage to go into the question of the illegality of the arrest of the petitioner.
However, that issue will remain open, which can be agitated by the petitioner at the appropriate stage in an appropriate petition,” the Court observed.
Chhagan Bhujbal, who represents the Yeola constituency, is currently part of the ruling BJP–Shiv Sena coalition after joining the Ajit Pawar camp during the NCP split.
Bhujbal was arrested on March 14, 2016, following allegations of money laundering under Section 3 read with Section 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The charges related to alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and the Kalina Library at Mumbai University during his tenure as Maharashtra’s Public Works Department Minister.
In December 2016, the Bombay High Court rejected Bhujbal’s habeas corpus petition, which sought to challenge the legality of his arrest by the ED. Bhujbal was granted bail in May 2018, subject to conditions such as surrendering his passport and obtaining prior permission to leave Mumbai.
The ED’s chargesheet accused Bhujbal and his family of laundering approximately ₹900 crores. However, in September 2021, a special court discharged Bhujbal and others in the corruption case related to the Maharashtra Sadan scam, citing a lack of prima facie evidence of conspiracy or illegal monetary transactions.
The Supreme Court’s dismissal of the ED’s plea reaffirms Bhujbal’s bail status, leaving broader questions on the legality of his arrest open for future adjudication.
