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Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, his lad Pankaj and nephew Sameer were connected Friday (January 23, 2026) discharged by a designated PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) tribunal successful Mumbai successful a wealth laundering lawsuit related to the alleged multi-crore Maharashtra Sadan scam.
Discharging each the accused, the tribunal observed, “The prosecution nether PMLA without beingness of the proceeds of transgression related to the predicate offence is akin to a histrion without roots, devoid of ineligible sustenance and incapable of surviving judicial scrutiny.”
The tribunal observed that determination was nary procreation of proceeds of crime. “When determination were nary proceeds of crime, nary question of its layering oregon siphoning further arises,” the bid passed by Special Judge Satyanarayan R. Navander stated.
Social activistic Anjali Damania, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation successful the matter, told The Hindu that she volition situation the tribunal bid successful the High Court connected grounds that the little tribunal had “erred successful passing the bid successful question.” She besides appealed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to clarify the government’s and his party’s stance implicit the Maharashtra Sadan scam.
Mr. Bhujbal was accused of receiving kickbacks for awarding contracts arsenic the Maharashtra PWD curate successful 3 projects worthy implicit ₹100 Crore successful the twelvemonth 2006. As the Opposition party, the BJP had rallied against Chhagan Bhujbal implicit the Maharashtra Sadan scam. He was aboriginal arrested and imprisoned for astir 2.5 years. Chhagan Bhujbal is present a Cabinet Minister successful the Maharashtra authorities led by the BJP. He is an NCP leader.
Mr. Bhujbal said that the discharge showed the triumph of information and justice. “For respective years, we believed successful the judicial strategy and waited patiently. I americium grateful for the spot shown by the people, my colleagues and my family. We volition proceed to enactment to service the people,” helium said.
Brief history
The ACB had filed a lawsuit against Chhagan Bhujbal amid an enquiry into ‘irregularities’ successful awarding contracts worthy implicit ₹100 crore erstwhile helium was the Maharashtra PWD minister. The ED past filed a abstracted wealth laundering case.
The contracts for the operation of Maharashtra Sadan successful Delhi, a caller Regional Transport Office gathering successful Andheri and a State impermanent location successful Malabar Hill were fixed to Chamankar Developers. After the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau filed a lawsuit against him successful 2015 owed a PIL successful the Bombay High Court, the Enforcement Directorate excessively had registered a lawsuit related to wealth laundering.
Dead-wood
While discharging each the accused, the tribunal said successful its bid that determination was nary procreation of proceeds of crime. “To prosecute the accused for the offence of wealth laundering nether PMLA, the beingness of scheduled [predicate] offence is must. Existence of predicate offence tin lone established by proceeds of crime, of which layering oregon siphoning is possible. As specified the precise instauration of offence of wealth laundering is the transgression proceeds of the predicate offence.”
Observing that the orders related to the offence and related to the merchandise of the attached properties had reached finality, the tribunal said, “Under these circumstances, continuation of the PMLA proceedings for the offence nether Section 3 R/W 4 becomes a dead-wood.”
The charge-sheet had accused Mr. Bhujbal and different nationalist servants of misuse of their designations and participate into a transgression conspiracy to cheat and origin fiscal nonaccomplishment to the Government and undue summation to the developer, M/s. K. S. Chamankar Enterprises.
It had alleged that Chhagan Bhujbal, successful lieu of the authorisation of the improvement proposal, accepted wealth (kickbacks) done the firms/companies of his relatives and employees.
The prosecution argued that the transgression proceeds generated from the predicate offence were layered by the main accused, and those were transferred to the accounts of different accused nether the guise of acquisition of existent property oregon investments.
But the tribunal observed that erstwhile the accused are discharged from the lawsuit of the predicate offence, they cannot beryllium prosecuted for the offence punishable nether PMLA. “Having respect to the mandate of law, nary proceedings tin proceed against the accused persons who are discharged from the lawsuit of the predicate offence.
“Also, erstwhile determination are circumstantial findings that determination was nary procreation of proceeds of crime, nary question arises of layering oregon siphoning of the proceeds of transgression further. Therefore, the relation attributed to the remainder of the accused successful PMLA lawsuit comes to an end. They cannot beryllium prosecuted for the offence of wealth laundering, erstwhile determination is nary much a lawsuit of procreation of transgression proceeds successful existence,” the bid stated.
Congress slams BJP
Atul Londhe, Congress spokesperson, said that the bid reflected the nonaccomplishment of credibility of each the law institutions. “The sanctity of an instauration has been finished by the BJP. Will radical spot immoderate enactment by immoderate instauration hereafter? All the law institutions person mislaid their credibility owed to the misuse by the BJP. May it beryllium the 2G scam oregon the CWG scam oregon the ember scam, oregon Chhagan Bhujbal lawsuit now,” helium said.
Social activistic Anjali Damania said that 11 allegations were levelled against him. “Out of them, FIRs were registered successful 4 cases. They person got discharge successful the Maharashtra Sadan case, the Oshiwara backstage constructor case, Belapur case. But the Kalina Central Library lawsuit is inactive going on. For the tribunal to accidental that the offences are implicit is inaccurate. The tribunal has erred successful passing the order. I volition situation it. I besides impulse Devendra Fadnavis to instrumentality a steadfast basal connected it and springiness a clarification connected what his enactment feels astir it,” she said.
