Special court denies further CBI custody of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh

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The Special CBI court  judge DP Shingade, today denied CBI’s request to extend custody of ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh  in a case pertaining to corruption in police transfer and posting process. The court has remanded Deshmukh to judicial custody till April 29. The CBI was given Deshmukh’s custody on April 6, 2022 for five days. It was later extended till April 15th. The court has today denied any further extension. All the other four co-accused have also been sent to judicial custody. 

On April 6, 2022, seeking Deshmukh's custody for ten days, the CBI had submitted that they wanted to take Deshmukh to Delhi for enquiry. However, the same was opposed by Deshmukh’s lawyer on the ground that Deshmukh is not fit to travel and has always cooperated with the investigation. 

It is to be noted that Deshmukh is now under the judicial custody of the CBI and the Special Court where the Enforcement Directorate is investigating offences money laundering offences against him.

An FIR was registered against Deshmukh on April 24, 2021, on charges of corruption and misconduct following an inquiry that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had conducted in compliance with the high court's order in a plea filed by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Also, The Bombay High Court had refused to quash the FIR lodged by the CBI against Deshmukh. Court had then observed, "The agency can legitimately probe the reinstatement of Waze after 15 years only to the extent that it links with the probe in the Rs 100 crore corruption case against Deshmukh."