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Anil Deshmukh summoned by CBI for questioning on April 14: Officials
CBI registered a preliminary inquiry against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on April 6 on the directions of Bombay High Court. Deshmukh has been accused of corruption by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh for questioning on April 14 in connection with its probe into the allegations of corruption levelled against him by senior police officer Param Bir Singh, officials aware of developments said on Monday.
Also Read | CBI registers preliminary enquiry against Anil Deshmukh on Bombay high court order
CBI registered a preliminary enquiry against Deshmukh on April 6, a day after Bombay High Court directed the agency to probe allegations against the then-Maharashtra home minister levelled by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. Deshmukh resigned from his position on April 5 just hours after the high court order, in which the bench observed that an independent probe against him was not possible as the state police reported to him.
Also Read | Bombay HC directs CBI to conduct preliminary probe against Anil Deshmukh
On April 8, terming the allegations against the NCP leader as “serious,” the Supreme Court dismissed Deshmukh and the Maharashtra government’s plea challenging the high court order.
Also Read | 'Serious' allegations against Anil Deshmukh require CBI probe, rules Supreme Court
In a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 20, Singh accused Deshmukh of tasking officials of the Mumbai Police to collect ₹100 crore per month from bars, restaurants, hotels in the city. The development took place three days after the senior officer was shunted by the Deshmukh-led home ministry from his position as the police chief of Mumbai to a “low-key” post of commandant general of the Home Guards, for “mishandling” the probe into the explosive-laden vehicle found outside the residence of billionaire Mukesh Ambani on February 25.
Singh then moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe against the NCP leader but was asked to approach the high court first, which passed its orders on a separate plea filed by Dr Jaishri Patil.
Dilip Walse Patil, also from the NCP, has since assumed charge as the home minister of Maharashtra. The state government has also set up a one-member panel, comprising former Bombay HC judge Kailash Chandiwal, to probe the allegations against Anil Deshmukh, and submit a report in six months.
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