Mumbai: After skipping several summons by Enforcement Directorate (ED), Maharashtra’s former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh today reached the ED’s office in Mumbai for questioning in a money laundering case against him.
Deshmukh, who had stepped down earlier this year from his post amid row over the bribery allegations against him, was refused relief by the Bombay High Court on Friday as he appealed for cancelling the summons.
He was accused of corruption by Mumbai’s ex top cop Param Bir Singh. The former top cop is also missing and a lookout notice has already been issued against him. He also faces allegations of extortion and several cases have been filed against him.
Four summons had been issued to Mr Deshmukh by the central probe agency but he had not appeared until now.
Case so far
The CBI Sunday made its first arrest in the bribery case involving former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh as it took an alleged middleman into custody, officials said.
The agency arrested Santosh Jagtap from Thane Sunday morning, they said, adding he has been evading the probe even after the issuance of non-bailable warrants against him last month.
The CBI had raided the premises of Santosh Jagtap, an alleged middleman, in August and also recovered ₹ 9 lakh, they said.
State government alleges Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Subodh Jaiswal
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Subodh Jaiswal himself should be considered a “potential accused” in the central agency’s probe against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, the state government told the Bombay High Court today.
Senior counsel Darius Khambata, who appeared for the Maharashtra government, told a bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and SV Kotwal that during 2019 to 2020, when Subodh Jaiswal was the state Director General of Police (DGP), he was also part of the Police Establishment Board.
The senior IPS officer was thus involved in decisions on transfers and postings of police officers which the CBI is now probing, the lawyer said.
The Maharashtra government has challenged before the high court summons issued by the CBI to state chief secretary Sitaram Kunte and present state DGP Sanjay Pandey to record statements in connection with the agency’s probe against Anil Deshmukh.
Recommendations for transfers and postings were approved by Subodh Jaiswal in his capacity as DGP during Deshmukh’s tenure, Darius Khambata said.
“A CBI probe is ongoing into transfers and postings of state police officers made during former home minister Anil Deshmukh’s tenure. Then the next in line (to be probed) is the Director General of Police, who is the fulcrum, who is at the heart of the issue of transfers and postings. So having the former DGP head the investigation is like having Anil Deshmukh investigate it himself,” the state’s lawyer said.
The CBI is probing allegations of corruption made by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh against Anil Deshmukh, an NCP leader.
Following an order of the Bombay High Court on April 5, 2021, the CBI conducted a preliminary inquiry into the allegations made by Singh against Deshmukh and later registered an FIR.
In September this year, the CBI summoned Maharashtra chief secretary Sitaram Kunte and the present DGP Sanjay Pandey for recording statements in the case.
The Maharashtra government has moved the HC challenging the summons.
Advocate Khambata also pointed out that the HC’s April 5 order had said that whoever was part of the alleged corruption, even the complainant himself, must be investigated.
He showed the court the minutes of meetings where Subodh Jaiswal, as part of the police establishment board, had approved transfers of several police officers.
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