A day after the Supreme Court dismissed his plea seeking to quash the FIR lodged against him by the CBI in the corruption case, Maharashtra’s former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said here on Thursday that he would appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its investigations against “after the legal process is completed”.
In a statement issued here, Deshmukh said: “The Supreme Court has permitted me to approach the lower court. That being the case, the legal process is currently on. Once this process is completed, I will myself before the ED and cooperate with the investigating agency fully”.
“In my entire political career, I have practised high standards of ideals,” Deshmukh said.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh seeking to quash the FIR lodged against him by the CBI in connection with the allegations of corruption made against him by Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
A SC bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and M R Shah dismissed Deshmukh’s appeal challenging the Bombay High Court of July 22, saying no case for interference with the high court verdict was made out. The Judges said that there was no error in the judgement of the high court.
Deshmukh skipped the summons by the ED on Wednesday for the fifth consecutive time. In a letter sent to the ED through his lawyer Inderpal Singh. Deshmukh said that the apex court, while refusing him interim relief, granted him liberty to seek appropriate remedy available under the Code of Criminal Procedure. The former Minister said he had, therefore, decided to move the appropriate court in a day or two.
The Bombay High Court had on July 22 refused to quash the FIR filed against him by the CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act, after holding that Deshmukh’s petition deserved to be “dismissed”.
Hearing a petition filed by Deshmukh, a HC of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar had held that for reasons cited in the judgement, the plea by the State’s former Minister deserved to be dismissed, and asked the Registrar General to return the investigation papers to the CBI.
Having established a trail for Rs 4 crore allegedly paid by the 10 bar owners in Mumbai over a period of three months, the ED had conducted raids on the three residences and one property of Deshmukh on June 25.
Among other things, the ED had told the court on June 26 that Rs 40 lakh was paid by 60 bar owners to the now dismissed and incarcerated Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Waze in December last year. The bar owners have told the ED that the amount was paid for ‘smooth functioning’ of their establishments and also as ‘good luck money’.
Deshmukh had resigned from his post as the State Home Minister on April 5, within hours after the Bombay High Court ordered a “Preliminary Enquiry” (PE) by the CBI into the serious charges of corruption made against him by Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
It may be recalled that on March 20, the former commissioner of police had alleged that State Home Minister Deshmukh had asked now arrested and dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze to "collect" a staggering Rs 100 crore per month from bars, restaurants and other sources.Deshmukh is being investigated separately by the CBI in connection with a First Information Report (FIR) registered by it on April 24 section 7 of the amended Prevention of Corruption of Corruption Act and section 120-b (conspiracy) of IPC for an “attempt to obtain undue advantage for important and dishonest performance of the public duty”.
Having prima facie found “cognisance offences” of corruption and conspiracy against him during a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) conducted by it into the allegations made against him by Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, the CBI on April 21 registered a regular case against him and other unknown people.