Bhujbal and his family were using the trust’s building as their personal property alleges Sunil Karve.
It seems that Bhujbal family’s troubles seem to be far from over. The Charity Commissioner has ordered for the dismissal of Chhagan Bhujbal’s son Pankaj Bhujbal and nephew Sameer Bhujbal from the posts of treasurer and secretary of Mumbai Educational Trust (MET). Former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal is already facing imprisonment for the money laundering case in connection with the Maharashtra Sadan construction scam.
Sunil Karve founder-trustee of the MET said, “I have been fighting a four year long battle demanding the removal of Bhujbal’s relatives from these posts. Bhujbal and his family were using the trust’s building at Bandra Reclamation as their personal property.”
“I had filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) alleging that the family had destroyed valuable proof from the building and that it should be booked for causing disappearance of evidence,” he added.
Karve had alleged that the entire eighth floor of the property, measuring about 15,000sqft has been converted into IDEEN Furniture, promoted by Bhujbal’s daughters-in-law Vishakha and Shefali. He had filed a petition against Bhujbals with the Bombay High Court in this regard. The Charity commissioner had also carried out a probe against Pankaj Bhujbal in March. Thus both these leaders will be ousted from their respective posts.
On May 21, Pankaj Bhujbal obtained an interim relief by Bombay HC, from arrest till May 25 in connection with a money laundering case against him. A bench comprising Justice Ajay Gadkari stayed the execution of a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) issued against Pankaj Bhujbal, on a petition filed by him, till May 25.
On the other hand, the ED is probing alleged kickbacks received by Bhujbal and his kin for favouring contractors in construction of the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi and the Kalina Central Library, works which were awarded when he was state PWD minister — he held the portfolio from November 2004 to September 2014. The ED has alleged that the Bhujbals received cash in lieu of projects awarded to contractors and “channeled such illegal cash into various companies and integrated it into business activities” of companies they controlled.
The ED had filed an 11,500-page charge-sheet against Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj Bhujbal, nephew Sameer, corporates like DB Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors, Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure. Bhujbal started his political career with the Shiv Sena, joined the Congress and later the NCP of Sharad Pawar.
