A Mumbai court on Tuesday granted permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation to record the statement of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in an alleged corruption case, PTI reported.
The case pertains to accusations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh who had in March last year alleged that Deshmukh had asked some officers to extort Rs 100 crore every month from bars and restaurants in the city.
Deshmukh has denied the accusations, but he resigned from the Maharashtra Cabinet on April 5 after the Bombay High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a preliminary inquiry against him.
The Nationalist Congress Party leader is currently in judicial custody after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case.
The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation is based on the Central Bureau of Investigation case. The agency has alleged that a part of the money collected from bars and restaurants of Mumbai had been routed to shell companies owned by Deshmukh.
On Tuesday, Special Judge RN Rokade allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation to record Deshmukh’s statement in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail where he is lodged.
Officer of the investigation agency can meet him for three days from March 3, the judge said, according to PTI. The statement would be recorded in the presence of a prison officer deputed by Arthur Road jail superintendent.
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