Anil Deshmukh arrested LIVE UPDATES: NCP leader sent to 4-day ED custody till Nov 6

In its remand application, the ED mentioned that 3 PILs were filed before the Bombay HC levelling allegations of corruption primarily against Anil Deshmukh. The agency revealed that in the course of the investigation, they had found out that there are 13 companies controlled by Deshmukh's family and another 14 controlled by his associates which have been utilized for the purpose of infusion of 'ill-gotten' money of Anil Deshmukh. 

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An application was also filed by Anil Deshmukh’s counsel to allow the presence of a lawyer while interrogation. Another application is for home food and medicines. It has been allowed.

As per sources, Anil Deshmukh has been sent to ED custody till November 6. The agency has been granted 4-day custody of the NCP leader in the case.

Judge PB Jadhav dictating the orders. Standby for the verdict.

"Bombay high court had asked CBI to investigate. No one asked you (ED) to investigate. You came on your own," Deshmukh's counsel Vikram Chaudhary says. 

Arguments from both sides are over. ASG Anil Singh delivers rejoinder. 

As per sources, Anil Deshmukh's lawyer highlighted that the ED had submitted both in the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court that his client was not named as an accused in the money laundering case. Moreover, he questioned the change in the ED's approach between October 29, the day on which the HC denied relief to Deshmukh and November 1 when he appeared at its office. He reportedly asked, "What material did they collect within these three days?" 

As per sources, ED has sought Anil Deshmukh's custody for 14 days in connection with the money laundering case. 

Sources told Republic TV that NCP leader Anil Deshmukh will appeal to the court seeking home-cooked food, an attendant owing to his "dislocated shoulder" and permission to meet family members. 

Anil Deshmukh has been produced before the PMLA court. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh commenced his arguments on behalf of the ED. While Singh opposed the plea to allow Deshmukh to speak to his lawyer for some time, Judge PB Jadhav allowed the same for a period of 5 minutes. 

The ED has produced ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh before the PMLA court. As per sources, the central agency is likely to seek his custody for further investigation. 

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has been taken back to the ED office after undergoing a medical checkup at the JJ Hospital. He will be produced before the PMLA court soon. 

The trouble for Anil Deshmukh started on March 20 when former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh levelled 'extortion' charges against him. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Singh alleged that the NCP leader had asked Sachin Vaze to extort Rs.100 crore per month from 1750 bars, restaurants, and other establishments in Mumbai. After the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to carry out a preliminary enquiry into these allegations, Deshmukh resigned as the Home Minister was replaced by Dilip Walse Patil.

On April 21, the CBI registered an FIR against the NCP leader and unknown individuals under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120 B of the IPC. According to the FIR, the former Maharashtra Home Minister was aware that dismissed Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze was entrusted with most of the sensational and important cases of Mumbai. Furthermore, it accused him and others of exercising undue influence over the transfer and posting of officials. 

Subsequently, the ED filed an ECIR against Anil Deshmukh on May 11 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for allegedly obtaining illegal gratification which was based on the corruption case registered by the CBI. On August 16, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar, Krishna Murari, and V Ramasubramanian had declined to grant him protection from any coercive action in the case registered by the ED. Thereafter, the central agency issued a lookout notice against the ex-Maharashtra Home Minister after he skipped its summons for June 25, June 29, July 5, July 16, and August 17.

Breaking his silence on Anil Deshmukh's arrest, Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik claimed that the former has been falsely implicated in the extortion case. To buttress his point, he highlighted that the person who levelled the accusations- former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh is absconding at present. According to him, the Centre has to bear responsibility for Singh evading the law of the land. Moreover, he questioned the Union government on how Singh could flee the country when a lookout notice had been issued against him. 

In a big development, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray will meet his Deputy Ajit Pawar and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday during his visit to Baramati. The arrest of ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh will come up for discussion, sources revealed. 

• March 20, 2021: The former Mumbai top cop wrote a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray levelling extortion charges against NCP leader Anil Deshmukh who was the state Home Minister at the time. Singh alleged that the NCP leader had asked now suspended API Sachin Vaze to extort Rs.100 crore per month from 1750 bars, restaurants, and other establishments in Mumbai. 

• April 5, 2021: NCP leader Anil Deshmukh who was then serving as the Maharashtra Home Minister tendered his resignation after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI preliminary inquiry into former Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh's charges against him. 

• May 10, 2021: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) against Anil Deshmukh in an alleged money laundering case. 

• June 25, 2021: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued summons to Anil Deshmukh for questioning related to the case. However, he did not show up. 

• June 29, 2021: The agency summoned the former Maharashtra Home Minister yet again. This time too, Deshmukh dodged the summons. 

• July 5, 2021: Anil Deshmukh ducked ED summons for the third time after seeking protection from the Supreme Court. 

• July 16, 2021: Anil Deshmukh skipped ED summons for the fourth time. 

• August 17, 2021: The Enforcement Directorate summoned Anil Deshmukh for the fifth time.

• September 2, 2021: Anil Deshmukh moved a petition before the Bombay HC seeking to quash the summons issued against him by the ED in connection with the money laundering case. 

• October 29, 2021: Bombay High Court rejected the petition filed by former Anil Deshmukh to cancel summons issued to him by ED. 

• November 1, 2021: Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh appears before the Enforcement Directorate. 

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was arrested by the ED after being questioned for over 12 hours on Monday in connection with a money laundering case. As per sources, the NCP leader was not cooperating and was being evasive in his replies to the central agency. He has reportedly been arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Deshmukh will now be produced before a Magistrate within a period of 24 hours for seeking remand. Earlier on July 26, the ED arrested his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and his personal assistant Kundan Shinde who were remanded to custody.

Anil Deshmukh's appearance before the ED on Monday came in the wake of the Bombay HC rejecting his plea challenging the summons issued to him by the central agency. Empowering Deshmukh to approach the appropriate court on the apprehension of arrest, the HC also directed the ED to permit his lawyer to remain present within "visible distance but not audible distance" at the central agency's office during his questioning. The ED has already conducted multiple raids at premises linked with Deshmukh in Mumbai and Nagpur.

In a statement issued on his ED appearance, Anil Deshmukh remarked, "Whenever ED sent me summons, I informed them that my petition is pending before the High Court, I have filed a petition before the Supreme Court and I will myself appear before the ED after the verdict. When ED raided my houses, me, my family and my associates extended full cooperation. I have given my statement twice to the CBI after receiving the summons. Even now, my case is pending before the Supreme Court. But today, I have appeared before the ED. The ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has levelled false charges against me. Where is the Param Bir Singh who levelled allegations against me? As per media reports, Param Bir Singh has fled abroad. The accuser has run away."

"Today, many police officers and businessmen have filed complaints against him in several police stations. His associate Sachin Vaze has levelled allegations against me on his instruction. He is in jail in connection with a murder. As an API, he went to jail on many occasions. When I was the Home Minister, I started the proceedings to dismiss him from the government job. After removing him from the government job, he levelled allegations against him. I feel very sad at my inquiry and the harassment caused to my family based on the allegations of Sachin Vaze and Param Bir Singh," he added. 

Taking to Twitter, BJP MLA Ram Kadam raised questions about the main boss of Anil Deshmukh when it comes to the extortion racket. He also hinted that leaders of other political parties also receive a share of extortion money. Stressing that this fight is not against any single person but corruption, he predicted that other leaders who are a part of the extortion racket will also have to go to jail.