NCP leader Anil Deshmukh gets bail: What are the cases against him?

Speaking to the media outside the jail, Deshmukh said, “There is no truth to the allegations made against me. I am thankful to the judiciary.” He added, “ Param Bir Singh had made an allegation of Rs 1000-crore corruption against me. However, he told the court in an affidavit that the said allegations were based on hearsay and he did not have any evidence on the same.”

Meanwhile, NCP leader and Maharashtra’s Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said, “We are happy about Deshmukh’s release. We will request the court to allow Deshmukh to go outside the Greater Mumbai area and we hope the court will grant the same. We will go through the court’s verdict and the truth will now come before the public.”

On November 2 last year, Deshmukh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after a marathon questioning session of 12 hours. He was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and accused of obtaining illegal gratification from bar owners in Mumbai when the minister was in office.

What is the ED case against Anil Deshmukh?

The ED is probing a money laundering case against Deshmukh, based on the first information report (FIR) filed by the CBI in April 2021 alleging corruption and bribery by the then minister. The ED, during its probe, had claimed that Deshmukh, while acting as the home minister, “received illegal gratification of approximately Rs 4.7 crore in cash from various orchestra bar owners” between December 2020 and February 2021 through the now-dismissed Mumbai police assistant inspector Sachin Waze — he is currently in jail as an accused in the Antilia terror scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case.

According to the ED, out of this, about Rs 4.18 crore was then deposited in cash with four Delhi-based shell companies – Reliable Finance Corporation Pvt. Ltd, VA Realcon Pvt. Ltd., Utsav Securities Pvt. Ltd. and Sital Leasing and finance Pvt. ltd. These firms subsequently donated the entire money to Shri Sai Shikshan Sansthan Trust, a charitable trust headed by Anil Deshmukh and his family.

The ED has also alleged that Deshmukh’s Worli flat, registered in the name of his wife Aarti Deshmukh, was bought in cash in 2004 but the sale deed was executed only in February 2020 when Deshmukh was serving as the home minister. Apart from this, the Deshmukh family, according to ED, has acquired 50 per cent ownership in Premier Port Links Pvt. Ltd. including its assets valued at approximately Rs 5.34 crore by merely paying Rs 17.95 lakh.

A month after his arrest, ED filed a chargesheet against Deshmukh, also naming his two sons, Hrishikesh and Salil, as accused. The agency claimed Deshmukh was the primary beneficiary of the money laundering of a sum of Rs 4.7 crore allegedly collected between December 2020-March 2021 by Waze.

In October 2022, Deshmukh was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in the ED case but he still remained in jail in a corruption case lodged by the CBI.

What are the other cases against Deshmukh?

Apart from the ED, Deshmukh is also being probed by the CBI and the Income Tax (I-T) department. The CBI is investigating two separate cases against him. The first case pertains to the allegations made by the Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh against the NCP leader. Singh alleged that Deshmukh exercised “undue influence” over the transfer and posting of police officials and also used Waze to illegally collect Rs 100 crore every month, including Rs 40-50 crore from 1,750 bars and restaurants in Mumbai. The CBI initiated a preliminary probe based on the April 5 HC order and registered FIR on April 21.

A year later, the investigation agency arrested Deshmukh in the case and filed a chargesheet against him. On December 12, 2022, a bench of the Bombay High Court gave him bail but the order would become effective only after 10 days so that the CBI could approach the Supreme Court to challenge the same by then.

The investigation agency did approach the apex court to challenge the bail order but it was the last working day of the court as it was closed down for winter break. On December 21, the high court extended the stay on the effect of Deshmukh’s bail order till December 27 but said that it will not accept any more requests for extension.

On Tuesday, the CBI once again knocked on the high court’s door in a bid to stay Deshmukh’s release but the court refused to do so and paved the way for the bail order to become effective from the next day.

The second that the CBI is probing is pertaining to its own sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari and Deshmukh’s lawyer Anand Daga in connection with the alleged leak of an official report on its investigation into allegations of policemen being coerced by Deshmukh to collect bribes on his behalf. According to the leaked document, which is the purported Preliminary Enquiry (PE) report signed by Investigating Officer DySP RS Gunjiyal, no cognizable offence was made out against Deshmukh.

The Income Tax investigation alleged tax evasion by three educational institutions of a trust owned by the Deshmukh family. The tax authority has alleged that Deshmukh has concealed an income of about Rs 17 crore to evade taxes. According to the tax department, the educational institutions have “indulged in inflation” of expenses to the tune of Rs 12 crore. The taxman also said it has found evidence to prove that the trust received “bogus donations” of Rs 4 crore through Delhi -based companies.