A Mumbai court on Thursday dismissed corruption charges against Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal and seven others in the Maharashtra Sadan scam case, PTI reported. Bhujbal’s son Pankaj and his nephew Sameer were among those acquitted.

In 2015, the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau had filed a case against the NCP leader and 16 others. The investigation agency had alleged that during his tenure as a minister in the Maharashtra Cabinet in 2005, Bhujbal had given undue favour to a construction firm for granting them contract for a project on a land owned by the regional transport office, The Indian Express reported.

The contract was given to construction firm KS Chamankar Enterprises in return for “kickbacks” that the NCP leader and his family received from the company when they built the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and a regional transport office building in Tardeo district, the agency alleged.

Bhujbal was Maharashtra Public Works Department minister from 2004 to 2014. He currently holds the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs portfolios in the Maharashtra Cabinet.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau had alleged that the original cost estimate for building the Maharashtra Sadan was Rs 13.5 crore, but it was later increased to Rs 50 crore. The Bhujbals allegedly got Rs 13.5 crore in kickbacks from the construction firm.

In their plea seeking dismissal of the charges, Bhujbal and others had denied any irregularities or corruption in awarding the contract. The plea contended that the allegations were based on “wrong calculations” and that the government had not faced any losses due to the contract.

On July 31, a court had discharged four other accused in the case as well.

However, Bhujbal still faces a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate. It was filed on the basis of the allegations by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Bhujbal in 2016, but he was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in 2018.