The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, dismissed the Directorate of Enforcement’s (ED) plea challenging the bail granted to former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and current NCP MLA Chhagan Bhujbal in an alleged money laundering case.

The Bombay High Court had, on May 4, 2018, granted bail to Chhagan Bhujbal in a money laundering case.

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A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan also rejected Bhujbal’s plea challenging his arrest in the case saying he was released on bail in 2018 and it was not necessary to go into the question of the illegality of his arrest at this stage. “Impugned orders granting bail have been passed way back in the year 2018. Therefore, no case for interference is made out at this stage under Article 136 of the Constitution. The SLPs are dismissed,” the bench said in its order rejecting the ED’s plea for bail cancellation of the NCP leader.

Declining Bhujbal’s plea against his arrest, the bench in its order said, “As the petitioner has been enlarged on bail in 2018, it is not necessary at this stage to go into the question of illegality of the arrest of the petitioner. However, that issue will remain open which can be agitated by the petitioner at the appropriate stage in an appropriate petition.”

The ED, in its case, said that Bhujbal awarded contracts related to construction and development works, including one for the construction of the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi, to a particular firm in return for kickbacks for himself and his family.