SC refuses to put stay on NBW against Pankaj Bhujbal in money laundering case

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to put a stay on the Non Bailable Warrant (NBW) issued against Pankaj Bhujbal, son of former Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Chaggan Bhujbal, in a money laundering case.

The apex court has asked the petitioner to approach the high court for the same.

A special PMLA court had on April 27 issued a non-bailable warrant against Pankaj Bhujbal in the case. This is in connection with construction of the new Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and another matter.

Apart from the former MP, NBWs were also issued against some private persons named in the case after the court took cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the matter.

The court had earlier extended the judicial custody of Bhujbal and his nephew Sameer Bhujbal till May 25.

The Enforcement Directorate had last week arrested Chhagan Bhujbal's associate and chartered accountant Sunil Naik in connection with the case.

The special PMLA court had earlier issued a non-bailable warrant against Naik, who was the CA at Bhujbal- owned Mumbai Education Trust (MET) at Bandra.

The Enforcement Directorate is probing Bhujbal, his son Pankaj and nephew Sameer in the case concerning a contract the former allegedly gave a builder in 2005 without inviting tenders when he was the state's PWD minister.

The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau had earlier filed two FIRs against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the PMLA to probe the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan scam and the Kalina land grabbing case.