A chargesheet was filed against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday.
The 17,400-page chargesheet against the former state minister was filed for alleged kickbacks received for giving the contract for the central library in Mumbai University at Kalina campus.
Bhujbal is presently lodged in the Arthur Road jail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 14 March in a money laundering case in connection with Maharashtra Sadan construction scam.
He is in judicial custody till 31 March.
Besides Bhujbal, the chargesheet comprises documentary evidence against six other officials from the state Public Works Department. Charges against the seven include criminal conspiracy, corruption, cheating and forgery under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code.
The Case
The ACB alleged that the seven people caused huge losses to state government by leasing out a plot to a private developer at a very low rate. They allegedly received huge kickbacks in return.
The PWD, under Bhujbal, allegedly issued tenders to construct the library in 2009 on one portion of the plot. The remaining land on the plot was leased out to a well-known developer for 99 years, at Rs 1 per square metre, which the ACB said is illegal.
The revenue department was kept in the dark about this deal and the collector was not informed, the ACB has alleged.
Second Case Against Bhujbal
The first chargesheet was filed in February against Bhujbal and 16 others in connection with the Maharashtra Sadan scam.
The probe against Bhujbal began after the Bombay High Court while hearing a PIL by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) constituted a special investigation team comprising ACB and ED to look into the allegations.
ED in its case had alleged that Bhujbal and his family received kickbacks for awarding various government contracts. These kickbacks were in return for contracts including the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, to the tune of Rs 870 crore.
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