Special CBI court rejects Anil Deshmukh’s plea seeking default bail in corruption case

PTI, Jul 11, 2022, 12:19 PM IST

Mumbai: A special CBI court here on Monday rejected former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh’s plea seeking default bail in a corruption case registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The court also rejected the pleas of two other accused in the case – Sanjeev Palande (Deshmukh’s former personal secretary) and Kundan Shinde (Deshmukh’s former personal assistant).

“The applications for default bail are hereby rejected,” special CBI court Judge S H Gwalani said.

Deshmukh, Palande, and Shinde sought default bail on the ground that the CBI had not submitted its charge sheet within the 60-day mandated period and that the charge sheet filed by the agency was incomplete.

The pleas also claimed the CBI had not submitted relevant documents along with the charge sheet and that those were submitted after the mandated time period.

As per section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the charge sheet in a case ought to be filed within 60 days from the arrest of the accused. If not done, then the accused can seek default bail.

The CBI had opposed the pleas and argued that it submitted the charge sheet in the mandated time period. Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh alleged in March 2021 that NCP leader Deshmukh, who was then the state’s home minister, had given a target to police officers to collect Rs 100 crore per month from restaurants and bars in the city.

Later, the HC in April last year, while hearing a petition filed by an advocate, directed the CBI to carry out a preliminary inquiry. The CBI, based on its inquiry, registered an FIR against Deshmukh and his associates on charges of corruption and misuse of official power.

Based on the CBI’s FIR, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also lodged a case of money laundering against the NCP leader. The ED arrested Deshmukh in November 2021, and he is in judicial custody at present.

Deshmukh was arrested by the CBI in the corruption case lodged by it in April this year. He is currently in judicial custody in that case also.