Anil Deshmukh sent to 14-day judicial custody

Mumbai: A special holiday court in Mumbai on Saturday refused to grant the Enforcement Directorate (ED) additional custody of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh for nine days and sent him in a 14-day judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case.

The ED had sought Mr Deshmukh's remand for nine more days. But, the Mumbai court rejected its plea and sent the NCP leader to judicial custody.

The probe agency had arrested Mr Deshmukh in the early hours of November 2 in connection with the alleged Rs 100-crore extortion and money laundering case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ex-minister’s son Hrishikesh Deshmukh had also approached the court with an anticipatory bail plea in the case filed by the ED. The court has posted the matter for final hearing on November 12, refusing to grant interim relief till then.

The ED’s case against Mr Deshmukh is based on the first information report (FIR) filed by the CBI in April 2021 alleging corruption and bribery by the then minister. According to the agency, it found during the probe that Mr Deshmukh, while acting as the home minister, “received illegal gratification of approximately Rs 4.7 crore in cash from various orchestra bar owners” between December 2020 and February 2021 through the now-dismissed Mumbai police assistant inspector Sachin Waze.

The CBI’s FIR came after former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh alleged that Mr Deshmukh had asked police officers, including Mr Waze, to collect Rs 100 crore each month from 1,750 bars and restaurants in Mumbai.