Money laundering case: Anil Deshmukh did not summon ED for the 5th time, sent lawyer’s letter to the court
Senior National Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh did not attend the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons for the fifth time on Wednesday. Instead, he submitted an application to the agency seeking exemption from appearance in the money laundering case.
In a three-page letter sent to the ED through his lawyer Inderpal Singh, Deshmukh said, “Initially, I may submit that you have decided to issue summons immediately after hearing my writ petition before the Supreme Court. Even without waiting, the text of the order is to be uploaded on the website of the Court and without reading the contents thereof.”
With regard to the ED case, he said, “I have since approached the Supreme Court for various reliefs, including challenging the validity of various provisions of the PMLA as well as challenging the quashing of the ED case. I have also sought protection. My personal liberty. The said writ petition came up for hearing before the Supreme Court on August 16.”
The Supreme Court on Monday denied Deshmukh interim protection from arrest in a money laundering probe, saying he can avail the remedy under the CrPC and other appropriate forum for relief.
Deshmukh in his letter said that from the above, it is abundantly clear that the Supreme Court is open to him to resort to all reasonable remedies available under the CrPC, including filing a quashing petition.
The ED had issued fresh summons to Deshmukh on Tuesday. The development came a day after the Supreme Court denied interim protection to the 71-year-old NCP leader from any coercive action by the federal agency.
Deshmukh has been charged with money laundering, and the ED is probing a case of alleged extortion from a group of orchestra bars in Mumbai.
It is alleged that Rs 4.7 crore was collected as “extortion” from the orchestra bar by sacking Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze, allegedly on the instructions of Deshmukh.
Later, the amount was transferred to Deshmukh’s Nagpur-based educational trust by his son, Hrishikesh. According to the allegation, the transaction was done through two hawala operators and was shown as “donation”.
The NCP leader is the chairman of the trust and his two sons Salil and Hrishikesh are its trustees. A case was registered against the former minister on May 11 and on June 25, the ED raided Deshmukh’s residences in Nagpur, Mumbai and three other places.
In this case, in April, the CBI had raided four premises of Deshmukh by registering an FIR against him.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, in his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, had alleged that Deshmukh had committed “misconduct” and asked Waze to extort Rs 100 crore every month.
IANS. with inputs of
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