'Maharashtra minister used to meet Anil Deshmukh with list of cops for transfer'

A Maharashtra cabinet minister used to send a list of police officers of the rank of ACP and above for the purpose of transfers and postings to then state home minister Anil Deshmukh the Enforcement Directorate ED told the Bombay High Court citing the statement of Sanjeev Palande the expersonal secretary of DeshmukhPalande an additional collectorrank official used to send this unofficial list to the Police Establishment Board as per Deshmukhs instructions the ED stated in an affidavit filed on Friday opposing Palandes petition for quashing a money laundering case lodged against himCiting Palandes statement the ED also claimed that a minister also used to meet with the then home minister Deshmukh with a list containing the names of police officials and respective places where they have to be transferred along with the names of concerned MLAs and MLCs from the Shiv SenaBesides Palande was also instrumental in arranging meetings between dismissed Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze and Deshmukh to discuss the possibility of increase in the money collected from bar orchestra owners the affidavit saidPalande has admitted in his statement to the investigating agency that one cabinet minister used to send a list of police officials for the purpose of transfers and postings to Deshmukh They used to be the officers of the rank of ACP and above the ED statedAlso read Maharashtra govt plea on summons to CS DGP surrogate real actor Anil Deshmukh CBI tells HCPalande was arrested by the ED in June this year He is presently in judicial custody Nearly three months after his arrest the Maharashtra government suspended himDeshmukh was arrested in a money laundering case earlier this month The NCP leader too is in judicial custodyIn his petition Palande alleged that the money laundering case registered against him was politically motivated and he was falsely implicatedIn the affidavit the ED said that Palande had not approached the HC with clean handsThe petitioner Palande was instrumental in passing on the instructions of Anil Deshmukh the then home minister of Maharashtra to Sachin Waze with regard to collection of tainted money from Orchestra Bars and assisted Anil Deshmukh in money laundering activities as defined under section 3 read with section 4 of the PMLA the affidavit saidThe ED stated that Palande had admitted in his statement that one cabinet minister used to send a list of police officials of the rank of ACP and above for the purpose of transfers and postings to Anil DeshmukhPalande used to send this unofficial list to the Police Establishment Board as per Deshmukhs instructions the affidavit allegedFurther the petitioner in his statement dated 27062021 has stated that a minister also used to meet with the Home Minister with the list containing the names of police officials and respective places where they have to be transferred along with the names of concerned MLAs and MLCs from Shiv Senaiquest the ED saidThe Shiv Sena heads the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi goernment also containing NCP and CongressThe ED had initiated a probe against Deshmukh and his associates after the CBI filed an FIR against the senior Nationalist Congress Party leader on April 21 on the charges of corruption and misuse of official positionWaze was arrested for his alleged role in parking an explosivesladen SUV outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani in February this year and for the subsequent murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran the purported owner of that SUVThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever