A special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Monday remanded former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, 72, in judicial custody.
Mr. Deshmukh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on November 2 after 12 hours of questioning. His 14 days of ED custody ended on Monday.
Advocate Aniket Nikam, appearing for Mr. Deshmukh, filed an application for home food and medicines for him and said it was a harmless request considering his age and post-COVID-19 health. The court allowed Mr. Deshmukh a bed from home and medicines.
On October 29, the Bombay High Court rejected Mr. Deshmukh’s plea seeking to quash five summons issued by ED.
The case dates back to March 20, 2021, when former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh wrote a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging Mr. Deshmukh abused his position and powers to seek illegal monetary benefits. The letter alleged instances of Mr. Deshmukh directing suspended police officer Sachin Vaze and others to collect ₹100 crore from bars and restaurants over a month.
The High Court subsequently ordered a preliminary inquiry against Mr. Deshmukh by the CBI. The ED then stepped in and started a probe into allegations of money laundering against Mr. Deshmukh.
On April 21, an FIR was registered against Mr. Deshmukh under Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 7 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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