A Mumbai court on Friday rejected the bail plea of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, PTI reported.
The 71-year-old had sought bail in the case after the Bombay High Court granted him bail on October 4 in a money laundering case which the Enforcement Directorate is investigating in connection to the allegations of corruption.
The CBI had filed a first information report against the Nationalist Congress Party leader under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act on April 24, 2021. The case is based on former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh’s statement accusing Deshmukh of extorting money from bars, restaurants and hookah parlours in Mumbai.
At Friday’s hearing, the court noted that the statements of dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze against Deshmukh played a vital role in the case, Live Law reported. Vaze, was a co-accused in the case before he turned an approver.
Vaze had alleged that an amount of Rs 1.71 crore had been extorted from bars owners between February and March, 2021 and handed over to Deshmukh’s personal assistant.
“Therefore statements cannot be overlooked at the stage of hearing of bail application,” the court said. “...Admissibility of evidence will be a matter of trial.”
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