Tightening its noose on Maharashtra’s former Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhjubal, the BJP-led saffron alliance Government has given a go-ahead to the State Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct an “open inquiry” against him and his family members in the disproportionate assets case.
This is the second “open inquiry” that has been ordered against Bhujbal. The State ACB is already conducting an open inquiry against him into allegations of corruption and favouritism in an alleged scam involving the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi and two other Government buildings in Mumbai built under Private Public Partnership (PPP).
Informed official sources said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had cleared a file from the State ACB seeking a probe into the allegation that Bhujbal and his family members owned property to the tune of Rs2,653 crore.
Acting on a complaint made by AAP leader Anjali Damania and fellow activist Sachin Khedkar had lodged with it on November 20, 2014, the State ACB had conducted a preliminary inquiry into the allegations made by the two activists and prima facie found that there was truth in the charge that the Bhujbals owned assets disproportionate to their known source of income.
In another case, the State ACB had, earlier in December last year, set up an SIT to conduct an open inquiry into allegations of corruption and favouritism against Bhujbal in construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi and two other government buildings in Mumbai built under Private Public Partnership (PPP).