Former Maharashtra deputy chief minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal is in the eye of a storm yet again. This time he has courted trouble by “overstaying” at the Bombay Hospital. Troubles compounded for Bhujbal after he pooh- poohed medical advice by doctors at the hospital that he should undergo angioplasty. Eventually, the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing him on charges of money laundering, contended that he be shifted back to custody in the case he doesn't deem it fit to heed medical advice.
Bhujbal was shifted out to the government-run JJ Hospital in the last week of October after the doctors wanted to conduct four clinical tests on him including a Thallium scan. Since the Thallium scan test machine wasn't working properly, doctors there advised that he be shifted to a private hospital for just a day, sources said.
ED lawyer Hiten Venegavkar told THE WEEK that Bhujbal was meant be at the Bombay Hospital for only a day. “We have objected to his month long stay at Bombay Hospital and also exploiting this opportunity to frequently meet and chat with party colleagues between November 2 and December 7.”
“On November 8, Bhujbal was advised by Bombay Hospital doctors to undergo angioplasty. Surprisingly, Bhujbal sought to ignore the advice of the doctors. I have argued before the court that if he chooses not to heed medical advice, he has no business being at the hospital. In that case, he should be shifted back to custody," said Venegavkar. On October, Venegavkar submitted before a special ED court that Bhujbal's overstay violated the judicial order.
Bhujbal, his son and nephew Pankaj and Samir, are being investigated by the ED for their collective involvement in laundering “proceeds of crime to the tune of approximately Rs 750 crore.” The ED, in one of its applications, said that the Bhujbals -- who are into the businesses of real estate, power generation and plantation farming -- resorted to creating bogus share purchasing entities “to channelize and integrate tainted funds. These tainted funds appear to be [sic] laundered in the guise of equity subscriptions at unreasonably high premium with the help of operators and chartered accountants.”
The total estimated loss to the state exchequer has been pegged at Rs 870 crore. Bhujbal had initially tried to shift blame to his CA when the ED investigation showed that prima facie, the former minister was the main controller and beneficiary of the money laundering activities.
