Bombay HC sends Anil Deshmukh to ED custody till Nov 12

Mumbai: In a significant development that came less than 24 hours after a special holiday court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, the Bombay High Court on Sunday remanded Maharashtra’s former Home Minister and accused in a money laundering case Anil Deshmukh to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till November 12.

In a turn of events that unfolded a day after a special holiday court rejected the ED’s plea seeking extension of his custody by nine days, a HC vacation bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar sent Deshmukh back to the ED’s custody till November 12.

Justice Jamdar was hearing an ED plea, challenging the special court's November 6 order remanding the former State Home Minister to 14-day judicial custody, on the ground that it was bad in law and against the principles of natural justice.

While the ED was represented by Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, counsel Vikram Chaudhri and advocate Aniket Nikam appeared for Deshmukh in the high court.

Declining to entertain a plea by the ED seeking extension of his custody by nine days, Holiday Special Court Judge PR Sitre had on Saturday remanded Deshmukh to judicial custody for 14 days. 

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 `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”.

Having prima facie found “cognisance offences” of corruption and conspiracy   against him during a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) conducted by it into the allegations made against him by Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, the CBI on April 21 registered a regular case against him and other unknown people.