CBI graft case: Court pulls up Anil Deshmukh for pleas “intentionally filed” to prolong trial

The court’s observation came a day after it allowed an adjournment sought by Deshmukh’s side on the grounds that his counsel was stuck in the Supreme Court

MUMBAI: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Tuesday rejected an adjournment plea filed by former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case registered by the CBI, holding that the application was “intentionally filed” to “prolong the matter”, and observing that repeated applications and non-cooperation by the accused had created obstacles in the proceedings.

CBI graft case: Court pulls up Anil Deshmukh for pleas “intentionally filed” to prolong trial

The court’s observation came a day after it allowed an adjournment sought by Deshmukh’s side on the grounds that his counsel was stuck in the Supreme Court. The matter was listed on Tuesday for hearing on an interim application, the hearing of which has itself been adjourned repeatedly. Deshmukh’s counsel sought a further adjournment, stating that the advocate was engaged in another court. However, the court noted that senior advocate Inderpal Singh was present and held that the fact that the advocate was engaged in another court was “not sufficient ground” to adjourn the matter.

The court recorded that the matter had been adjourned “day to day” and said that the proceedings were being obstructed due to the accused’s non-cooperation. It further held that the latest adjournment application had been filed intentionally to prolong the matter. The court said the interim application was “required to be heard expediently in order to reach the stage of framing of charges” and rejected the adjournment plea.

The CBI filed its charge sheet in June 2022, alleging that Waze had collected around ₹4.70 crore from orchestra bar owners in Mumbai between December 2020 and February 2021, and that the money was handed over to Deshmukh’s personal assistant Kundan Shinde. Waze subsequently became an approver in the case. The CBI case alleges that the money was collected as part of a scheme involving Deshmukh and his associates.

A parallel money-laundering case on the same allegations is being pursued separately by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has alleged that the money collected from Mumbai bars was routed through shell entities to a Nagpur-based educational trust linked to the Deshmukh family.

More than four years after the CBI charge sheet was filed, the case is still at the stage before framing of charges. The court has now fixed September 7 for the Hearing Before Charge and on the pending applications.