Bombay HC sets up SIT to probe graft charges against Bhujbal, family

Maharashtra’s former Public Works Minister Chhagan Bhujbal landed in a major trouble on Thursday, as the Bombay High Court directed the chiefs of Enforcement Directorate, and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations of corruption and money laundering against him, his family members and employees of his educational trust.

Hearing a petition filed by the Aam Aadmi Party leader Anjali Damania, a HC division bench comprising Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice BA Colabawala ordered the to- be-appointed SIT to submit its report on or before February 28, 2014 on its investigations into the allegations that the Bhujbal family-run trust had received kickbacks to the tune of `82 crore from private contractors.

In her petition, Anjali had alleged that Bhujbal and his family as well employees of Mumbai Education Trust had received that kickbacks of more than `82 crore for awarding contracts to favoured contractors and the money was laundered through Bhujbal family trusts and family owned companies. The HC bench said it had decided to order a SIT probe into allegations of corruption and money laundering indulged in by Bhujbal, his family members and employees of the family-run trust, owing to the serious nature of the allegations on which no action was taken by the state for more than a year.

The SIT probe would cover 11 alleged irregularities listed in the petition including the process of awarding contracts for the construction of new Maharashtra Sadan. The contractors who are alleged to have made the payments include big construction companies like DB Realty, and India Bulls.

The HC directive to the ED and ACB to appoint a joint SIT probe team to probe the charges of corruption and money laundering indulged in by the former NCP minister, his family members and employees of his family-run educational trust   comes a week after the BJP-led Maharashtra Government gave a go-ahead to the State ACB to launch an open inquiry against Bhujbal over the  allegations of corruption and favouritism in construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi and two other Government buildings in Mumbai built under Private Public Partnership (PPP).

Meanwhile, the AAP has welcomes the high court’s ruling against Bhujbal. “The AAP salutes and applauds its leader Anjali Damania’s pursuit of the case. We are glad that there is time bound investigation in the brazen case of loot and crony capitalism”. According to AAP,  Anjali Damania had in April 2013 “exposed” the alleged corruption in awarding contracts by the then PWD minister Chaggan Bhujbal. “The AAP Maharashtra had complained to all authorities with evidence that after awarding of contracts many construction companies had made payments to Bhujbal family trusts and family owned companies and these needed to be investigated,” a party statement said.