SC refuses to grant interim relief to former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant interim relief to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who was seeking protection from any punitive action in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
A three-judge bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar said Deshmukh is free to access the remedies available to him under the law. “We are not inclined to grant any interim relief,” a bench of Justices Krishna Murari and V Ramasubramaniam said.
During the hearing, the counsel appearing for Deshmukh told the bench that it was a classic case of “political witch-hunt”.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that there are serious allegations of money laundering in the case.
“You resort to such remedies as are available to you under the law,” the bench told Deshmukh’s counsel.
The top court was hearing a number of petitions, including those challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED had earlier summoned the 71-year-old NCP leader in connection with a criminal case registered under the PMLA relating to an alleged Rs 100 crore bribe-cum-extortion racket that led to Deshmukh’s resignation in April this year.
The ED case against Deshmukh and others was registered after the CBI registered a corruption case related to allegations of bribery of at least Rs 100 crore made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after he was removed from the post of Commissioner of Police, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh extorted over Rs 100 crore a month from Mumbai Police’s suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze from bars and restaurants in Mumbai. was asked to collect.
Deshmukh had to resign from his post in April following the allegations and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The ED had arrested Deshmukh’s personal secretary and personal assistant after raids against him and the NCP leader in Mumbai and Nagpur.
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