Mumbai: The Bombay high court, while granting bail to former deputy chief minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal last Friday, considered his age and the fact that there were 81 accused in connected PMLA cases that would be tried together and would take considerable time.
Justice P.N. Deshmukh in his order considered several facts that went in favour of granting bail to Chhagan Bhujbal.
The first being that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Chhagan Bhujbal’s nephew Sameer Bhujbal on February 1, 2016, and at that time, Chhagan Bhujbal was in USA on a pre-planned tour.
Despite Sameer Bhujbal’s arrest, he returned to India and made himself available to the ED at the first summons dated March 14, 2016, and was taken into custody the same day.
Considering this fact, Justice Deshmukh observed, “There is no reason to presume that the applicant (Chhagan Bhujbal) would abscond or flee from justice, if released on bail.”
Justice Deshmukh also added, “Moreover, as the case of prosecution is based on the statement of witnesses under section 50 of the Act, and on documents from various bank accounts, there is the least possibility of the applicant’s tampering with the same,” he said.
The judge also said that Chhagan Bhujbal was 71 years old and at no point was he required for interrogation.
