Bombay High Court judge recuses from hearing Anil Deshmukh’s bail plea in money laundering case

Deshmukh, who was arrested in November last year, had moved the high court after the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on March 14 rejected his bail plea and held that there is prima facie proof to indicate that Deshmukh had exercised “undue influence” over transfers and postings of police officers.

In his bail plea filed through advocates Aniket Nikam and Inderpal Singh, Deshmukh said, “There is ample material on record to demonstrate that there is a tug of war relating to investigations into the accusations that form a part of the present case and other alike cases as to whether the state police machinery or the CBI will investigate. The Centre and state are thus at crossroads. Param Bir Singh is apparently warming up with the central agencies and thus has apparently been given a red carpet welcome and a safe passage.”

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) through its reply told the High Court that Deshmukh is the “mastermind and brain” behind the money laundering conspiracy and misused his official position to create unaccounted assets. He also exercised “undue influence over transfers and postings of police officials and on performance of those police officials,” it added.

In its response to the former minister’s bail plea, the ED said the probe is at a nascent stage and Deshmukh being an influential person may tamper with evidence and witnesses if released.

The central agency alleged that Deshmukh was the beneficiary of bribes received by co-accused Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, who has since been dismissed. Another bench of the high court will hear Deshmukh’s bail plea in due course.

Meanwhile, a division bench of Justice S S Shinde and Justice Milind N Jadhav adjourned till second week of July a hearing on Deshmukh’s plea challenging the special CBI court’s order that allowed the application filed by the central agency seeking his custody in connection with the corruption case.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh representing CBI said that the petition copy was not served to the agency. Since Deshmukh’s lawyers could not remain present when the matter was called up for hearing, the bench posted the matter for hearing to next month.