Ex-Maharashtra home min: Will appear before ED after completing legal recourse

Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said the Supreme Court has accepted his petition against the ED action, which is expected to be heard very soon

After skipping multiple summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged money laundering case, former home minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday issued a statement saying that the Supreme Court has accepted his petition against the ED action, which is expected to be heard very soon.

Anil Deshmukh missed the summons issued by ED on Wednesday. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The Apex court has also given him the liberty to appeal in the lower court and he will appear before ED after completing legal recourse.

“The Supreme Court has accepted my petition against Enforcement Directorate action and is expected to hear the same very soon. The Apex court also allowed me to appeal in the lower court. Once the process of legal recourse is completed, I will appear before the Enforcement Directorate and extend full cooperation. In my entire political and social life, I have always followed high standards,” Deshmukh said in a statement released on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader skipped the summons issued by ED in connection with the allegations of corruption and extortion against him. It was the fifth summons issued by the central investigation agency.

ED had issued fresh summons a day after the Apex court refused to grant any interim relief to Deshmukh.

ED has registered a money laundering case against Deshmukh after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a first information report (FIR) against him on April 21.

So far, Deshmukh has maintained that the allegations against him are false.

The central agency has alleged that while serving as Maharashtra home minister, Deshmukh misused his position, and through assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze – who has now been dismissed and is in Taloja jail for his alleged role in the Antilia explosives scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case – collected ₹4.7 crore from Mumbai’s bars for their “smooth functioning”.