Last month, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court had issued non-bailable warrants against 22 accused, following which seven of them had approached the court, challenging the order and seeking anticipatory bail.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted interim protection from arrest, till May 25, to Asif Balwa and six other businessmen. The accused are facing charges of money laundering, along with former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, in many cases, including the Rs100-crore Maharashtra Sadan scam.
Last month, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court had issued non-bailable warrants against 22 accused, following which seven of them had approached the court, challenging the order and seeking anticipatory bail.
Vacation judge Ajey Gadkari has restrained the police from arresting the seven applicants – Sanjiv Jain, Praveen Jain, Chandrakant Sarda, Jagdish Purohit, Rajesh Mistry, Vipul Karkaria and Asif Balwa – till May 25.
According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the seven businessmen allegedly conspired with Bhujbal to divert the kickbacks received by him through their group of companies. The accused argued that the alleged offences with which they have been charged with were non-cognizable offenses, and warrants could not have been issued against them at the first instance, because they were not arrested during interrogation.
Besides Bhujbal, his nephew Sameer Bhujbal has also been arrested for money laundering. On March 30 this year, the ED had filed 11,500page charge sheet, naming Bhujbal, Pankaj, Sameer, corporates such as D B Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure.
The agency filed 2 FIRs against Bhujbals and others under anti-money laundering laws, based on FIRs filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), to probe alleged irregularities in the construction of the state guest house Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and the Kalina land grabbing case.
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