A special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Friday rejected the bail plea of Chhagan Bhujbal, a Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra chief minister. Bhujbal was arrested on March 14 in connection with the multi-crore Maharashtra Sadan scam.

On Wednesday, the court had extended the judicial custody of Bhujbal and his nephew Sameer Bhujbal till May 25. Bhujbal’s counsels had applied for bail on medical grounds, saying the leader suffers from serious ailments that need constant monitoring, The Asian Age reported. The list of diseases included asthma, sleep apnea, diabetes and hypertension.

The case pertains to the construction of the Maharashtra Sadan state guest house in Delhi during Bhujbal's tenure as the state's public works department minister from 2004 to September 2014. The contract for the building was given to a firm called Chamankar Builders without inviting tenders. The same company was also given contracts for building a Regional Transport Office and another government guest house in Mumbai. According to the Enforcement Directorate, Bhujbal, his son Pankaj and nephew Sameer played a major role in the scams, which cost the state exchequer an estimated Rs 870 crore.