Mumbai : CM Devendra Fadnavis has given his nod to the Anti Corruption Bureau to file a chargesheet against former PWD minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal in the Maharashtra Sadan scam as well as the graft in the Kalina library land deal.
Fadnavis had earlier invited flak for delay in according the sanction. The ACB, which had filed FIRs against Bhujbal in both the cases in June, had first sought the government’s permission to file chargesheets in July. The ACB has pressed charges of misconduct and misuse of office against Bhujbal over irregularities in the Kalina land deal case. He has been slapped with more serious corruption charges in the Maharashtra Sadan case.
Home department officials confirmed that the ACB is in the process of submitting the chargesheet and the government nod would also allow the ACB to provisionally attach Bhujbal’s properties.
Bhujbal is also facing an investigation by the ED into allegations of money laundering. Incidentally, Fadnavis, as an opposition legislator, had spearheaded the campaign for action against Bhujbal in the two cases. The state government has also given its nod for prosecution of three other officers in the cases. The then superintending engineer Anilkumar Gaikwad, then architect Bipin Sankhe and then undersecretary Sanjay Solanki are the officials.
