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Days after Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and his kin were discharged in a money laundering case concerning the alleged multi-crore Maharashtra Sadan scam and other cases, Social activist Anjali Damania has written to the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, seeking suspension of the order of the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court due to alleged “mistakes concerning predicate offences”.
“The impugned order proceeds on the incorrect assumption that the foundation of the prosecution no longer exists, thereby it undermines the purpose of PIL No. 23/ 2014, nullifying years of investigation ordered by the Court and also setting a precedent that large-scale corruption can be defeated by piecemeal discharges,” said Anjali Damania, requesting the Court to stay the operation and effect of the impugned order.
Ms. Damania is the original petitioner and complainant in Public Interest Litigation (PIL) No. 23, which raises corruption allegations against Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who is alleged to have acted illegally. It mentions Mr. Bhujbal and his family’s involvement in fraudulent allotment of the New Maharashtra Sadan project, New Delhi, without tenders and by fabrication of records, acceptance of kickbacks through benami companies and relatives, criminal conspiracy in the Central Library, Kalina project, cheating in Hexworld Housing Project, Navi Mumbai, and laundering through real estate entities and shell companies.
Also Read: Maharashtra Sadan scam, Charge sheet filed against Bhujbal
In the letter addressed to the Chief Justice of Bombay HC, she stated, The PIL No. 23 of was the genesis of the entire criminal prosecution. By order dated 18 December 2014, the Court was pleased to constitute a Special Investigation Team comprising the Director General, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Mumbai, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to inquire into the allegations and submit a report.
On Friday (January 23, 2026), Mr. Bhujbal was discharged of the allegations on the grounds that there was “no generation of proceeds of crime”. Special Judge Satyanarayan R. Navander stated, “When there were no proceeds of crime, no question of its layering or siphoning further arises.” However, Ms. Damania stated to challenge the court order in the High Court on grounds that the lower court had “erred in passing the order in question.”
In the letter dated January 24, she pointed out that the three FIRs were filed in the case following the orders passed during the hearings of PIL No. 23. The first is FIR related to New Maharashtra Sadan case, accused booked for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 198, the second FIR in case Central Library, Kalina case, alleging illegal gratification of ₹2.5 crores, and the third FIR registered with EOW is related to Hexworld Housing Project ( cheating of 2344 flat purchasers and collection of approx. ₹44.04 crores)
“All the FIRs collectively constitute the predicate/scheduled offences for proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002,” she stated.
Ms. Damania emphasised that predicate offences are not over, and the order passed is based on an error. She cited the reasons, such as a pending trial in the Central Library, and said, “Enforcement Directorate itself has recorded that further prosecution under PMLA would follow upon completion of investigation in this FIR.” Other reasons are that discharge in one FIR does not extinguish other scheduled offences arising from the same PIL, as each FIR is independent and survives on its own footing, and under Section 3 of the PMLA, money laundering is a continuing offence.
Published – January 25, 2026 04:24 pm IST
