The Bombay High Court has granted interim protection from arrest till August 8 to NCP legislator Pankaj Bhujbal in a money laundering case registered by Enforcement Directorate.

Pankaj had filed an anticipatory bail application in the high court after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by the special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in the Maharashtra Sadan scam.

Pankaj’s father and former Maharashtra Deputy Chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal and cousin Sameer are the main accused in the case. Chhagan was arrested by ED in March and is still in jail.

According to ED, the Bhujbal family allegedly conspired along with several others to divert or ‘launder’ kickbacks received by Chhagan Bhujbal when he was State Public Works Department minister.

The charges relate to the contract for construction of the state guest house ‘Maharashtra Sadan’ in Delhi and the Kalina land-grabbing case in Mumbai.