Aashwin Shanker, Mumbai Uncensored, 5th July 2021
Former home minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh, on Sunday appealed to the Supreme Court, for protection against any extreme action in a money-laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday, issued fresh summons for the 71-year-old NCP leader, for his appearance on July 5 in the case.
The ED has, up until this point, given three notifications to Deshmukh, who has been approached to record his assertion at the central agency office in south Mumbai on Monday.
Deshmukh has moved the top court, looking for assurance from any coercive activity, Mumbai-based lawyer Inderpal B Singh said in a video message delivered for the media.
The previous home minister had avoided the two previous summons, referring to his “weakness” to Covid as the justification of rebelliousness in his last interaction to the office. He rather offered the ED to record his assertion through video-conferencing.
The new request by ED was given regarding a criminal case enrolled under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, identifying with a supposed Rs 100 crore pay off cum-blackmail racket that prompted Deshmukh’s abdication in April.
The first summon was followed after raids led by the ED at his premises in Mumbai and Nagpur and at his assistants and others last month.
The agency consequently captured two of his associates in this case, personal secretary Sanjeev Palande (51) and personal assistant Kundan Shinde (45). They are in ED care till Tuesday.
The agency, sources said, aside from the current case needs to interrogate Deshmukh regarding his and his relatives’ supposed connections with certain shell organizations that were utilized to launder much before the current claims of bribery was exposed to the Mumbai police.
