Money laundering case: Co-accused say Pankaj Bhujbal threatened them

Pankaj Bhujbal

Amit Balraj and Sudhir Salaskar, former employees of Mumbai Education Trust (MET) and co-accused in a money laundering case with former minister Chhagan Bhujbal and his son Pankaj, filed an application on Tuesday in the special court saying Pankaj threatened them in court premises.

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Balraj and Salaskar, who turned approvers in the case, filed the application relating to the incident on May 16. When they were brought to the court, the judge was not in the chair. The application reads, "On entering the said courtroom, they were shocked to find that the entire courtroom was the sanctuary of the main accused (Chhagan Bhujbal) and his men. Chhagan and Sameer were holding a darbar for their business associates, colleagues and cronies."

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'Alarming threat'
Balraj and Salaskar further said that after marking their attendance, they were waiting for their advocate when Pankaj approached them. "Mr. Pankaj Bhujbal asked them to leave the premises immediately or face dire consequences. The threat of Pankaj Bhujbal was so imminent and alarming that they are now scared of injury and harm to their lives." read the application.

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Balraj and Salaskar said that their claims can be corroborated by CCTVs outside courtroom number 16. The same day, they approached the Colaba police station and filed a non-cognisable complaint against Pankaj Bhujbal.