Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 2: The BJP may again prove a touchstone to “purify” the likes of Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal who are facing probe by the Enforcement Directorate in alleged money laundering cases now that they have joined the Eknath Shinde – Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra.
Of the nine Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders who took oath as Cabinet ministers on Sunday, at least three – Ajit Pawar, who became the second deputy chief minister, Chhagan Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif – are facing probe by the ED in cases linked to money laundering.
Ajit Pawar was facing a probe by the Economic Offences Wing based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) over allegations of irregularities in loans given by the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank. Based on this, the ED too filed a case to probe money laundering in this connection.
In November 2019, the Maha Vikas Aghadi – a three-party coalition of the Congress, NCP and the undivided Shiv Sena came to power with Ajit named as the Deputy Chief Minister. Within a year, in September 2020, the EOW said it found no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing and filed a closure report before the special court.
The ED had opposed the EOW’s stand in 2020 but its intervention was rejected by the special court. As per a Supreme Court judgment, if the EOW case was to be closed, the ED too could not continue the probe. Before the special court could decide on the closure report by the EOW, however, the MVA government collapsed and it changed hands with Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and the BJP taking over power in last June.
With the political change and Ajit Pawar gone as minister, the EOW too changed its stance in October 2022 and said it wanted to continue with the probe, setting aside its own closure report. Currently, the EOW probe is ongoing and the state agency is yet to file a charge-sheet.
The ED, meanwhile, filed a charge-sheet in its probe in April. While Ajit’s role in the bank and in some of the companies which bought the sugar cooperatives which had taken loans from the bank were extensively mentioned in the ED charge-sheet, the leader has not been named an accused in the case. A company linked to him, however, was named in April in connection with the case. When asked why he was not named, Pawar had said the probe was still on and he had not been given a clean chit.
When Ajit Pawar was the Water Resources Minister in the Congress-NCP government and chairman of the Vidarbha Irrigation Development, there were allegations of irregularities in the irrigation projects. Based on PILs, the Maharashtra ACB began a court-monitored investigation in this regard.
However, in 2019, a day after he formed the short-lived government with Fadnavis, the ACB submitted a report before the Bombay High Court giving him a clean chit. The report, however, is yet to be accepted by the court. When the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) came to power, some BJP leaders started demanding re-investigation in the matter.
Hasan Mushfir, the leader from Kolhapur was facing searches by the ED in Mumbai in connection with alleged irregularities in the functioning of Sar Senapati Santaji Ghorpade Sugar Factory Limited and companies linked to his family.
In his pleas before the special court in Mumbai and the Bombay High Court, Mushrif had said the case against him was a motivated conspiracy. He had alleged that there was a “deliberate attempt” to get him involved in ED cases and that it was “common knowledge” as to how the ED is used in recent times to “wreck political vengeance and either severely damage or completely destroy political careers.”
Mushrif’s anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the special court in April. Following that, he approached the Bombay High Court. The court has been extending his interim relief. Last week, it was extended till July 11. The anticipatory bail pleas of his three sons, who are also being probed by the ED, are pending before the special court.
A case was also filed in 2015 against Chhagan Bhujbal and 16 others by the Anti-Corruption Bureau after a PIL was filed in the Bombay High Court seeking an inquiry into alleged irregularities in awarding of contracts of over Rs 100 crore for three projects in 2006 when Bhujbal was the state PWD minister.
The contracts in question were given to Chamankar Developers for the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, a new Regional Transport Office building in Andheri and a state guest house in Malabar Hill. A separate case alleging money laundering was also filed by the ED. The agency arrested Bhujbal in the case and he was granted bail after two years in jail.
In September 2021, while the MVA was in power, a special court discharged Bhujbal and others. An activist in January this year filed an appeal against the court’s order before the Bombay High Court, which is pending.
One case filed by the ACB in connection with the Mumbai University corruption case is pending before a special court. Bhujbal has filed a discharge plea, which is currently being heard. The ED case too remains pending. Bhujbal’s co-accused in the case, including his son and nephew, have filed for discharge on the ground that since the ACB case is closed, the ED probe cannot continue. It is also pending.
In view of the corruption cases pending against some of those who joined the Shinde cabinet, the Aam Aadmi Party called the prime minister Narendra Modi the “biggest patron of corruption” as in several other states too the corruption cases have been dropped against those who joined the BJP or supported the ruling party.