Mumbai Mar 25 PTI The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Enforcement Directorate ED to file its affidavit in reply to the bail plea of Maharashtras former home minister Anil Deshmukh arrested in a money laundering caseA single bench of Justice Anuja Prabhudessai asked the ED to file its affidavit within a week and posted the bail plea for hearing on April 8The senior NCP leader has sought bail on health grounds and has termed the EDs case as false and frivolousDeshmukh was arrested by the ED on November 2 2021 and is currently in jail judicial custodyThe NCP leader approached the HC for relief on Tuesday after a special court rejected his bail plea earlier this monthDeshmukh in his bail plea filed in the HC through advocates Aniket Nikam and Inderpal Singh has claimed he was implicated by the ED in a false and frivolous case and that the agency was misusing its authorityThe plea further refuted the charges of money laundering and said all alleged transactions cited by the central agency in the case were documentedThe applicant is 73 years old and suffering from various age-related ailments including a shoulder dislocation and hypertension the petition saidthese ailments impacts his immunity level which necessitates his dependence on a constant support and help it said requesting the court to show benevolent indulgence and release Deshmukh on bailThe plea added that the EDs case is wholly based on a statement given by dismissed cop Sachin Waze who is a shady characterDeshmukh in the plea further said the statement of Param Bir Singh former Mumbai police commissioner can also not be relied upon as the state government and the Centre are presently at crossroads and Singh has been warming up to central agencies and hence has been given a safe passageThe special court designated to hear cases related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act PMLA while refusing bail to Deshmukh had noted that there was evidence to show that the NCP leader was actively involved in money launderingThe EDs case is that while serving as state home minister Deshmukh misused his official position and through Waze a police officer who has been dismissed from service after his arrest in the Antilia bomb scare-Mansukh Hiran killing case last year collected Rs 470 crore from various bars in Mumbai The money was laundered to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan an educational trust controlled by the Deshmukh family the central agency has alleged PTI SP RSY RSY

Mumbai Mar 24 PTI Maharashtras former home minister Anil Deshmukh has approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail in connection with a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate ED Deshmukh was arrested by the ED on November 2 2021 and is currently in jail under judicial custodyThe 71-year-old NCP leader filed a petition in the HC after a special court rejected his bail plea earlier this monthDeshmukh in his bail plea filed in the HC through advocates Aniket Nikam and Inderpal Singh on Tuesday has said he was implicated by the ED in a false and frivolous case and that the central agency was misusing its authorityThe former minister who resigned from the state cabinet in April last year refuted the charges of money laundering and said all alleged transactions cited by the ED in the case were documented Deshmukhs bail plea is likely to be heard by a single bench of the HC on FridayThe special court designated to hear cases related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act PMLA while refusing bail to Deshmukh had noted that there was evidence to show that the NCP leader was actively involved in money launderingThe EDs case is that while serving as state home minister Deshmukh misused his official position and through Sachin Waze a police officer who has been dismissed from service after his arrest in the Antilia bomb scare and Mansukh Hiran killing case last year collected Rs 470 crore from various bars in Mumbai The money was laundered to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan an educational trust controlled by the Deshmukh family the central agency has alleged PTI SP RSY RSY

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