Court takes cognizance of EDs charge sheet against Anil Deshmukh his bail plea alleges persecution
Mumbai Jan 28 PTI A special court here on Friday took cognizance of the Enforcement Directorates ED charge sheet against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in an alleged money laundering caseThe NCP leader in his bail application filed before the special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases claimed he was the victim of gross persecution by probe agenciesSpecial judge R N Rokade issued process against all the accused asked them or their lawyers to remain present at the next hearing and also asked the ED to file a reply on Deshmukhs bail pleaThe ED last month filed a 7000-page supplementary charge sheet which named Deshmukh and his sons as accusedThe first charge sheet in the case had named Deshmukhs aidesThe former minister was arrested by the ED on November 1 2021 and is currently in judicial custodyAfter being denied default bail bail on technical grounds the senior NCP leader through his lawyer Aniket Nikam has sought regular bail nowThe bail application claimed he was the victim of gross persecution by some elements for blatantly malafide considerations The case reflected shocking abuse of power and authority by the concerned officials who have virtually unleashed a reign of terror by subverting the process of law the plea saidSuch adventurism if unchecked will sound the death-knell to the fundamental rights it addedThe application also questioned the credibility of dismissed policeman Sachin Wazes statement to the ED in the light of Wazes later deposition before an inquiry commission probing the corruption allegations against DeshmukhBefore the commission Waze made a complete turn-around and denied making any payment to the former home minister or any of his staff it notedThe fact that there are a number of cases against Waze also speaks volumes about his credibility the bail application saidThe ED is relying on Wazes statement to the agency that Deshmukh had asked him to collect money from bar and hotel owners The statement is a part of the charge sheetThe court asked the probe agency to file its reply to Deshmukhs bail plea on February 4The ED launched a probe against Deshmukh after the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI filed an FIR against the NCP leader on April 21 2021 for alleged corruption The EDs case is that while serving as state home minister Deshmukh through assistant police inspector Waze who was later dismissed from service after arrest in the Antilia bomb scare case collected Rs 470 crore from various bars in MumbaiThe money was laundered and routed to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan an educational trust controlled by the Deshmukh family the ED claimed PTI AVI NP KRK KRK
Mumbai Jan 28 PTI A special court here on Friday took cognizance of the Enforcement Directorates ED charge sheet against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in an alleged money laundering caseThe NCP leader in his bail application filed before the special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases claimed he was the victim of gross persecution by probe agenciesSpecial judge R N Rokade issued process against all the accused asked them or their lawyers to remain present at the next hearing and also asked the ED to file a reply on Deshmukhs bail pleaThe ED last month filed a 7000-page supplementary charge sheet which named Deshmukh and his sons as accusedThe first charge sheet in the case had named Deshmukhs aidesThe former minister was arrested by the ED on November 1 2021 and is currently in judicial custodyAfter being denied default bail bail on technical grounds the senior NCP leader through his lawyer Aniket Nikam has sought regular bail nowThe bail application claimed he was the victim of gross persecution by some elements for blatantly malafide considerations The case reflected shocking abuse of power and authority by the concerned officials who have virtually unleashed a reign of terror by subverting the process of law the plea saidSuch adventurism if unchecked will sound the death-knell to the fundamental rights it addedThe application also questioned the credibility of dismissed policeman Sachin Wazes statement to the ED in the light of Wazes later deposition before an inquiry commission probing the corruption allegations against DeshmukhBefore the commission Waze made a complete turn-around and denied making any payment to the former home minister or any of his staff it notedThe fact that there are a number of cases against Waze also speaks volumes about his credibility the bail application saidThe ED is relying on Wazes statement to the agency that Deshmukh had asked him to collect money from bar and hotel owners The statement is a part of the charge sheetThe court asked the probe agency to file its reply to Deshmukhs bail plea on February 4The ED launched a probe against Deshmukh after the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI filed an FIR against the NCP leader on April 21 2021 for alleged corruption The EDs case is that while serving as state home minister Deshmukh through assistant police inspector Waze who was later dismissed from service after arrest in the Antilia bomb scare case collected Rs 470 crore from various bars in MumbaiThe money was laundered and routed to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan an educational trust controlled by the Deshmukh family the ED claimed PTI AVI NP KRK KRK
