Mumbai court reserves verdict on Bhujbal relatives’ plea to halt ED case

A Mumbai court has reserved its decision regarding the application filed by relatives of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, which seeks to halt the ongoing case brought against them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). They argue that since the underlying offense has concluded, the ED’s lawsuit should not proceed.
The case revolves around Chhagan Bhujbal, his son, and his nephew and is linked to the Maharashtra Sadan scam, previously investigated by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The ACB’s case concluded earlier, prompting Bhujbal’s son and nephew, Sameer and Pankaj, along with four other co-accused individuals, to request the court to drop proceedings against them last year. Notably, over 50 individuals are implicated in this case.
The ED informed the Bombay High Court about a misplaced petition against the Bhujbals on Tuesday. During the hearing, the ED’s counsel requested additional time, but when Justice RN Laddha sought details about the petition, the counsel was unprepared. He explained that the petition was indeed filed by the ED but lacked necessary paperwork to brief the court adequately. Judge Laddha then postponed the case until October 30th.
It’s worth noting that the ED initiated legal action against the Bhujbals in 2018, although the petition had not seen a hearing until now, coinciding with Chhagan Bhujbal’s association with the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the state.