Anil Deshmukh bail: Supreme Court to hear CBI appeal challenging Bombay HC order

The Supreme Court is likely to hear on Monday the CBIs appeal challenging the Bombay High Court order granting bail to Nationalist Congress Party NCP leader and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption caseA bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices V Ramasubramanian and JB Pardiwala would consider the plea of the probe agency against the high courts bail orderOn January 20 the matter could not be heard as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who is representing the central probe agency was arguing before another bench in some other matter when the case was called out and later the hearing got adjourned to MondayThe probe agency had in December last year approached the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order granting bail to Deshmukh in the graft caseThe high court had on December 12 granted bail to the 73yearold NCP leader but said the order will be effective after 10 days as the Central Bureau of Investigation sought time to challenge it in the apex courtThe high court had said except for dismissed police officer Sachin Wazes statement none recorded by the CBI indicated money was extorted from bar owners in Mumbai at the behest of the politicianIn its plea filed in the top court the probe agency has claimed the high court committed grave error in granting bail to Deshmukh disregarding the serious objections raised by the CBI both on the merits of the case as well as the effect his bail will have on the continuing investigationThe high court failed to appreciate that economic offences are required to be treated as a separate category of offences and bail in such offences is not required to be granted as a routine matter Usually socioeconomic offences have deep rooted conspiracies affecting the moral fiber of the society and causing irreparable harm need to be considered seriously it saidThe CBI claimed the high court failed to appreciate that the charge sheet filed by the agency does not merely rely on the statement of Sachin Waze an accusedturnedapprover but is also based on other material evidence which establish commission of a cognizable offence by DeshmukhThe High Court failed to appreciate that ascertaining veracity or otherwise of any statement of a witness is a matter of trial and the statement ought not to have been discarded at the stage of deciding on grant of bail to the respondent it saidAlso Read Castebased census SC refuses to entertain pleas against Bihar govts decisionThe agency claimed The High Court failed to appreciate that the version of Sachin Waze accusedturnedapprover is corroborated by WhatsApp chats exchanged between Param Bir Singh PW prosecution witness30 and Sanjay Patil PW24 to the effect that money collected from the bar and orchestra owners was at the instance of the respondent DeshmukhIt said the high court committed error in holding that the evidence in the form of testimony of Waze cannot be the ground to prolong Deshmukhs custodyThe CBI said in its plea the high court also failed to appreciate that despite demitting the office of the home minister of Maharashtra Deshmukh holds considerable clout in the stateThere is every likelihood that he will command his authority by virtue of his high level political associations and connections Thus grant of bail to the accused respondent would be detrimental to the morale of already named witnesses and would be an impediment for prospective witnesses to come forward it saidAs an interim relief the CBI has sought an exparte stay on the high court order pending hearing of the plea filed in the apex courtDeshmukh had earlier approached the high court after a special CBI court rejected his application for bail which he had both on medical grounds as well as on meritsThe veteran politician was in jail since November last year after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate ED in a money laundering case He was later arrested by the CBI in the corruption caseFormer Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had in March 2021 alleged that Deshmukh the then home minister had given a target to police officers to collect Rs 100 crore per month from restaurants and barsFormer assistant police inspector Waze arrested in the Antilia bomb scare case of March 2021 too had levelled similar allegationsThe high court had in April 2021 directed the CBI to carry out a preliminary inquiry The CBI based on this inquiry registered an FIR against Deshmukh and others for alleged corruption and misuse of official powerThis 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