Money laundering case: SC snubs ED plea against bail to former Maha minister Anil Deshmukh

Dismissing Enforcement Directorate (ED) plea against bail to former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh, the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the October 4 order of the Bombay High Court that had granted bail to the NCP leader in a money laundering case.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli said the observations made by the Bombay HC in its order will not affect the trial in the case and dismissed the appeal filed by the Enforcement Directorate, according to PTI.

The former Maharashtra minister will, however, continue to remain in judicial custody at the Arthur Road prison in Mumbai as he is also being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a corruption case.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was arrested by the ED in November 2021 on charges of misusing his position as the home minister and collecting money worth crores from various bars in Mumbai through some police officers.

The ED claimed Deshmukh had misused his official position and collected ₹ 4.70 crore from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai, reported PTI.

According to the news agency, the money was channeled to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan, an educational trust controlled by the Deshmukh family, it alleged.

The Bombay HC on October 4 had granted bail to Deshmukh, observing two components of credits in the bank account of his family trust were not the proceeds of the crime. Following this, the ED moved to the top court against the grant of bail.

On the other hand, Deshmukh had also moved to the apex court when he said that the delay in hearing his bail plea was causing him prejudice.

According to an earlier report, the ED claimed that the statements of several accused were doubtful, especially that of former Mumbai top cop Sachin Waze, who had said that he was acting on behalf of “number one” which was presumed to be him.

-INDIA NEWS STREAM