ACB seeks nod to probe Chhagan Bhujbal in Maharashtra Sadan scam

Maharashtra's Anti-Corruption Bureau has sought permission of the state home department to initiate investigation against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and state public works department (PWD) minister Chhagan Bhujbal, related to alleged corruption in the the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi.

The state government is reported to have incurred total expenses of around Rs10,000 crore in connection with the construction of the building.

The state unit of the Bhartiya Janata party (BJP) has moved the court seeking its intervention to order an investigation into the inflated construction costs of the building. The BJP also alleges that Bhujbal misused his office to help companies linked to his relatives.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and a political activist Atul Shah on Tuesday filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court demanding criminal probe against Bhujbal for "rampant corruption and misconduct orchestrated through the department."

The PIL alleged that Bhujbal had misused the award of multi-crore contracts, especially the work on the new Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and the High Mont Guest House in Mumbai, to favour select entities.
 
The PIL states that the authorities have paid little heed to several complaints that Somaiya filed earlier. The PIL said these brazen ''misdeeds'' of Bhujbal as head of the PWD department ought not to be ignored any longer.

Somaiya has sought judicial intervention to direct a detailed probe by a team comprising the state police, Enforcement Directorate and other investigating agencies against "Bhujbal and his coterie of people" and report back to the court.