Bombay HC refuses to extend stay on bail for Anil Deshmukh

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to further extend a stay on its order granting bail to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case, Live Law reported.

On December 12, the High Court had granted bail to the Nationalist Congress Party on a surety of Rs 10 lakh. However, the court had stayed its order for 10 days to allow the Central Bureau of Investigation to file an appeal before the Supreme Court.

On December 21, the court extended the stay till December 27.

On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation again sought an extension of the stay for three more days. However, a vacation bench of Justice SG Chapalgaonkar did not accept the agency’s plea.

“How can a vacation court over ride regular court order?” the judge asked, according to Bar and Bench. “Request cannot be entertained. Interim application is rejected.”

Shreeram Shirsat, representing the CBI, told the court that the agency has filed an appeal against the bail order in the Supreme Court, it has not been able to get it listed for urgent hearing. He urged the court to extend the stay for one more day, if a three-day extension was not possible.

On the other hand, Aniket Nikam, representing Deshmukh, opposed any extension and contended that the CBI was trying to overreach the High Court order.

The court directed that Deshmukh’s bail order would become effective from December 28.

The case is related to accusations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh who had written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in March last year alleging that Deshmukh had asked some officers to extort Rs 100 crore every month from bars and restaurants in the city.

In a letter to Thackeray, Singh had written that dismissed Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze told him Deshmukh had asked him to collect Rs 100 crore every month through illegal channels.