Nagpur: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday booked former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with a corruption case.
The national agency carried out raids at 10-different-locations including Nagpur, Katol and Mumbai on Saturday morning.
The CBI action against Deshmukh comes in the backdrop of former Mumbai commissioner Param Bir Singh had levelled allegations of bribery against the NCP leader.
Last month, Singh had claimed that Deshmukh had asked Mumbai Police personnel to extort Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants.
Singh had also filed a criminal public interest litigation in this regard and the Bombay High Court handed over the case to the CBI and asked it to conduct a probe within 15 days.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday filed a first information report (FIR) against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh over allegations of corruption levelled by ex-Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
The agency invoked the Prevention of Corruption Act and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) in filing the FIR and also raided his residence along with three other places in Mumbai in connection with the case.
The former minister was summoned by the probe agency for questioning into the matter on April 14 after Param Bir Singh, in a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, accused him of directing his subordinates to collect money from bars, restaurants and hotels in Mumbai.
According to Singh, Deshmukh told police officer Sachin Vaze, now suspended and arrested in connection with Mukesh Ambani security threat case, to collect Rs100 crore a month from these sources.
As part of its preliminary enquiry, the CBI also questioned Anil Deshmukh’s personal assistants Sanjeev Palande and Kundan Shinde, former cop Sachin Vaze’s two drivers, bar owners, Mumbai Police officers and people close to the former minister in connection with the alleged corruption case.
The investigation was taken up by the CBI after the High Court of Bombay directed it on April 5 to conduct a preliminary investigation into the case within 15 days.
On April 8, the Supreme Court ruled that the allegations levelled against the former minister were “serious” and needed probe by the central agency.
