Court extends Deshmukh's ED custody till Nov 15

Mumbai: Five days after the Bombay High Court sent him to the custody of  the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged money laundering case, a Special PMLA court on Friday extended the ED custody of Maharashtra’s former Home Minister and accused in the case Anil Deshmukh till November 15.

Special Judge H S Satbhai extended Deshmukh’s ED custody that ended on Friday by three days, after his lawyers Deshmukh’s lawyers Vikram Chaudhri and Aniket Nikam opposed the central investigating agency's plea on the ground that he voluntarily appeared before the agency and agreed to be in its extended custody till Friday.

In their argument before the special court, Deshmukh’s lawyers questioned the ED as to why it filed a charge-sheet in the case without arresting the dismissed Assistant Police Inspector (API) and prime accused Sachin Waze, who played a key role but remains ‘accused’ only on paper.

Deshmukh’s lawyers also asked as to why Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh – who is currently an absconding accused at least three cases of extortion -- has not been summoned by the ED to record his statement in the  case

“The country is passing through a phase where chaos and anarchy prevail, while the judiciary is the only saviour. The idea is to tire Deshmukh out. The ED seeking further custody is proof that all is not fair and it is acting with malice,” Chaudhri told the court.

Rooting for the extension of Deshmukh’s ED custody,  Special Public Prosecutor Shriram Shirsat submitted that the former Minister was needed for further custodial interrogation since “new facts” had emerged in the



case.

Shirsat also told the court that Vaze, the accused in the same case, is currently in Mumbai Police custody till Saturday and that the ED make fresh plea seeking Vaze’s custody so that he could be confronted with Deshmukh, since the former minister was giving “evasive replies” to his interrogators.

Seven-one-year-old Deshmukh was arrested in the early hours of November after intense grilling lasting for more than 12 hours in the alleged money laundering case linked to the charges of extortion made against him by Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.  

Deshmukh had resigned from his post as the State Home Minister on April 5 2021 within hours after the Bombay High Court ordered a “Preliminary Enquiry” (PE) by the CBI into the serious charges of corruption made against him by Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. He is being investigated by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the allegations of corruption made by Param Bir Singh.  

It may be recalled that on March 20, the former commissioner of police had  alleged that State Home Minister Deshmukh had asked now arrested and dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze to "collect" a staggering Rs 100 crore per month from bars, restaurants and other sources in Mumbai.

Deshmukh is being investigated by the CBI in connection with a First Information Report (FIR) registered by it on April 24 section 7 of the amended Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120-b (conspiracy) of IPC for an “attempt to obtain undue advantage for important and dishonest performance of the public duty”.