SC dismisses Maha government plea, CBI to probe Anil Deshmukh over corruption charges

The court decision is a huge setback for the Maharashtra government, which has accused the central government of targeting its ministers and leaders through agencies such as the CBI.

Team Newsable

New Delhi, First Published Apr 1, 2022, 2:23 PM IST

The CBI inquiry into the former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh to continue, with the Supreme Court dismissing the Maharashtra state government's request for a court monitor probe on Friday. The Supreme Court stated that they will not even consider this case.

The Apex Court decision is a huge setback for the Maharashtra government, which has accused the central government of targeting its ministers and leaders through agencies such as the CBI.

The Maharashtra government had filed a plea requesting that the CBI's anti-corruption investigation against Anil Deshmukh be transferred to a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The plea read that CBI's inquiry could be biased as former Maharashtra police chief Subodh Kumar Jaiswal is now the agency's chief.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, Anil Deshmukh, is being investigated for allegedly accepting bribes for police transfers and postings while serving as Maharashtra's Home Minister.

The Maharashtra government stated that Subodh Jaiswal was part of police establishment boards and oversaw transfers and postings, adding that Jaiswal "should be a witness, if not a potential accused." However, Judge SK Kaul and MM Sundresh refused to step in and rejected the plea.

The former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh accused Anil Deshmukh of corruption and bribery. On November 2, Deshmukh was arrested.

Deshmukh is being investigated for allegations of misusing his official position and collecting Rs 4.70 crore from multiple bars in Mumbai through a corruption-accused cop, Sachin Waze.

The money was allegedly laundered through the Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan, a Deshmukh family-controlled educational trust.

The Maharashtra government filed a similar petition with the Bombay High Court in December, after rejection, it appealed to the Supreme Court.

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Last Updated Apr 1, 2022, 2:23 PM IST