Anil Deshmukh arrested at midnight, will oppose ED’s remand

After being questioned for over 12 hours, NCP leader and ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was arrested by the ED in connection with the money laundering case.

After being questioned for over 12 hours, NCP leader and ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was arrested by the ED in connection with the money laundering case.

We cooperated in the investigation related to a case involving Rs 4.5 crores…We will oppose his remand when he is produced before the court, today: Inderpal Singh, lawyer of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/xgfLxWV0E3

— ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2021

BJP MLA Ram Kadam reacts to Anil Deshmukh’s arrest

Taking to Twitter, BJP MLA Ram Kadam raised questions about the main boss of Anil Deshmukh when it comes to the extortion racket. He also hinted that leaders of other political parties also receive a share of extortion money. Stressing that this fight is not against any single person but corruption, he predicted that other leaders who are a part of the extortion racket will also have to go to jail. 

पूर्व गृहमंत्री अनिल देशमुख यांच्या अटकेनंतर .आता दर महिन्याला 100 कोटी रुपये #वसूली मध्ये त्यांचे प्रमुख बॉस कोण आहेत ? वसूलीचे हिस्सेदार ,वाटेकरी ,कोण कोण नेते आणी पक्ष आहेत ? हे समोर येईल. अन अर्थातच त्या बड्या नेत्यांनाही जेल मध्ये जावे लागेलच. ही लढाई कोणा एका व्यक्ति

— Ram Kadam (@ramkadam) November 2, 2021

Anil Deshmukh issues statement before ED appearance

In a statement issued on his ED appearance, Anil Deshmukh remarked, “Whenever ED sent me summons, I informed them that my petition is pending before the High Court, I have filed a petition before the Supreme Court and I will myself appear before the ED after the verdict. When ED raided my houses, me, my family and my associates extended full cooperation. I have given my statement twice to the CBI after receiving the summons. Even now, my case is pending before the Supreme Court. But today, I have appeared before the ED. The ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has levelled false charges against me. Where is the Param Bir Singh who levelled allegations against me? As per media reports, Param Bir Singh has fled abroad. The accuser has run away.”

“Today, many police officers and businessmen have filed complaints against him in several police stations. His associate Sachin Vaze has levelled allegations against me on his instruction. He is in jail in connection with a murder. As an API, he went to jail on many occasions. When I was the Home Minister, I started the proceedings to dismiss him from the government job. After removing him from the government job, he levelled allegations against him. I feel very sad at my inquiry and the harassment caused to my family based on the allegations of Sachin Vaze and Param Bir Singh,” he added. 

मा. उच्च न्यायालयाने माझ्या संविधानातील अधिकारात मला विशेष कोर्टात जाण्याचे स्वातंत्र दिले असतानाही मी आज ईडीच्या कार्यालयात जाऊन चौकशी साठी संपुर्ण सहकार्य करणार आहे. pic.twitter.com/c7OZ2MY1zS

— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) November 1, 2021

Bombay HC denies relief

Anil Deshmukh’s appearance before the ED on Monday came in the wake of the Bombay HC rejecting his plea challenging the summons issued to him by the central agency. Empowering Deshmukh to approach the appropriate court on the apprehension of arrest, the HC also directed the ED to permit his lawyer to remain present within “visible distance but not audible distance” at the central agency’s office during his questioning. The ED has already conducted multiple raids at premises linked with Deshmukh in Mumbai and Nagpur.

Allegations against Anil Deshmukh

The trouble for Anil Deshmukh started on February 20 when former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh levelled ‘extortion’ charges against him. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Singh alleged that the NCP leader had asked Sachin Vaze to extort Rs.100 crore per month from 1750 bars, restaurants, and other establishments in Mumbai. After the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to carry out a preliminary enquiry into these allegations, Deshmukh resigned as the Home Minister was replaced by Dilip Walse Patil.

On April 21, the CBI registered an FIR against the NCP leader and unknown individuals under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120 B of the IPC. According to the FIR, the former Maharashtra Home Minister was aware that dismissed Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze was entrusted with most of the sensational and important cases of Mumbai. Furthermore, it accused him and others of exercising undue influence over the transfer and posting of officials. 

Subsequently, the ED filed an ECIR against Anil Deshmukh on May 11 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for allegedly obtaining illegal gratification which was based on the corruption case registered by the CBI. On August 16, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar, Krishna Murari, and V Ramasubramanian had declined to grant him protection from any coercive action in the case registered by the ED. Thereafter, the central agency issued a lookout notice against the ex-Maharashtra Home Minister after he skipped its summons for June 25, June 29, July 5, July 16, and August 17.

ED arrests Anil Deshmukh

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was arrested by the ED after being questioned for over 12 hours on Monday in connection with a money laundering case. As per sources, the NCP leader was not cooperating and was being evasive in his replies to the central agency. He has reportedly been arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Deshmukh will now be produced before a Magistrate within a period of 24 hours for seeking remand. Earlier on July 26, the ED arrested his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and his personal assistant Kundan Shinde who were remanded to custody.

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