Money Laundering: Anil Deshmukh's Quashing Petition To Be Heard Virtually On Sept 29, ED At Liberty To File A Response-Bombay HC

The Bombay High Court has adjourned the hearing on former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's petition challenging Enforcement Directorate summons to him for September 29, as the Solicitor General will appear in the matter. The agency, investigating a money laundering case connected to the alleged extortion from bar & restaurant owners, has so far issued 5 summons to Deshmukh asking him to appear before the agency. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh for ED sought an adjournment and requested for the matter to be heard virtually as the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta would be appearing for the agency. Further, the court said that the ED may respond to the plea if it wishes to on the next date. A division bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar was hearing Deshmukh's quashing petition under section 482 of the CrPC. He has sought the constitution of an SIT of ED officers from outside Mumbai to investigate the matter and for his statement to be recorded virtually, among other reliefs. On Thursday, while senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhry assisted by Advocate Aniket Nikam didn't object to an adjournment for the Solicitor General to appear, they did accuse the agency of deploying delaying tactics. "The ED has been indulging in demeaning tactics. This petition demonstrates a hapless state of affairs...the tactics are deplorable," he said, referring to how the matter was being prolonged for one reason or the other. Anticipating that the agency may seek time on the next date to file a reply in the matter, Chaudhry sought directions to file a reply. The ASG said the SG would take a call on that and do whatever is necessary on the next date. Justice Shinde then said that ED would be at liberty to respond to the plea on the next date. The ED is investigating a money laundering case based on the CBI's corruption FIR against Deshmukh wherein Ex-Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh alleged that Deshmukh had asked Waze and two other officers to illegally collect Rs 100 crore from bar owners every month for him. The ED has filed a prosecution complaint, equivalent to a charge sheet, against 14 people including dismissed cop Sachin Waze and two of Deshmukh's associates. Anil Deshmukh is not named as an accused in the ED case as yet. The agency has cited his non-appearance despite 5 summons. Earlier this month the Supreme Court refused Deshmukh interim protection against coercive steps by the ED and asked him to approach the appropriate court under the CrPC instead. The agency claims to have established a money trail wherein dismissed cop Sachin Waze collected Rs 4.7 crore from bar owners and handed the money over to Deshmukh's arrested PA Kundan Shinde. ED further states that the money was eventually laundered through shell companies abroad by Deshmukh's son Hrishikesh and put into Deshmukh's educational trust in Nagpur.

Money Laundering: Anil Deshmukh's Quashing Petition To Be Heard Virtually On Sept 29, ED At Liberty To File A Response-Bombay HC

Sharmeen Hakim

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